The Lost Prince
by Zeplerfer
Summary: Ten years ago, the royal family of Spades was overthrown in a violent revolution and the last remaining family members were feared dead. Now, with the help of the former Jack of Spades and an amnesiac orphan, con man Arthur has a plan to collect the reward money by "finding" Prince Alfred and reuniting him with his grandmother. Based on mynoodlesafterdark's Cardverse Anastasia AU.
1. At the Beginning

In a worn-down theater that had once hosted the Royal Spades Opera, Arthur watched in growing exasperation as a line of men paraded across the stage. His bulletin had specified blond and blue-eyed and _young_ , but that wasn't what he was seeing in front of him. These men looked old and harried and their hair color was all wrong.

"What about him?" Yao asked, nodding towards a scrawny blond at the end of the line.

"Hair's too light and I think the prince would be taller," Arthur murmured as he closed his eyes and pulled up a distant memory. The nine-year-old boy that he had pushed into the servant's passageway had hair the color of sun-ripened wheat and a flash of fearful determination in his blue eyes. Arthur's memories were a little hazy after that, when the mob knocked him unconscious, but it was clear to him that none of the men in front of him would be good enough to play the part of the lost prince of Spades.

"We could always use dye," Yao suggested, but Arthur just shook his head. There were too many other conmen who wanted the reward money; he knew their candidate would have to pass many tests. They needed someone _perfect_.

"Thank you all for coming," he told the men on stage. "We'll let you know," he lied.

The disappointed group of men filed out into the snowy streets with Arthur and Yao not far behind. The streets were dark and desolate, with a long line of broken gas lamps left unlit on the side of the road. At least a light dusting of snow hid some of the grime. Having grown up as a palace servant, Arthur knew better than anyone that life before the revolution hadn't been perfect, but the instability after the king's death had left Spades a shell of its former glory.

Arthur shook his head and reminded himself that he would leave it all behind soon. The plan would make him very rich. Rich enough to afford a lovely home in the countryside, far away from grimy streets. He tried to imagine that house instead of the squalor around him.

At the end of the boulevard stood the Old Palace, its windows boarded-up with planks and portions unstable from all of the fire damage. He and Yao paused at the edge of the fence. Once they were certain that no one could see them, Arthur pressed a hidden latch and part of the fence swung open to reveal an underground passage to the servant's entrance. Most of the palace had been looted after the revolution, but a few rooms had escaped, especially once rumors started that the royal family still haunted the building and would curse anyone who stole their belongings. It was a cheap place to sleep and Yao's old office was one of the lucky rooms. The Jack of Spades wasn't important enough for gilded ceilings or expensive artwork. He did, however, have an extensive knowledge of the workings of the royal palace and every important family in Spades. Between the two of them, they could coach anyone into becoming Prince Alfred of Spades. They just needed someone to play the part!

Arthur sighed and sat down on one of the two cots they had set up in the room. He reached into his bag and pulled out an ornate paperweight he had carefully nestled into his spare set of clothing. It was the only thing he personally had looted from the palace. He had no idea what it was, but it had been important enough that the prince had tried to grab it while fleeing for his life. He felt sorry for the lost prince. Other than a slight mischievous streak, he had been a sweet boy. It was a pity he had almost certainly died that night in the chaos and the confusion.

Lost in his reverie, Arthur nearly dropped the paperweight when he heard a scream. He glanced toward the door. It had come from the direction of the Grand Ballroom.

"Probably village boys on a dare," Yao suggested.

"Shall we scare them off?" Arthur replied with a smirk. He tossed a flowing robe to Yao, who caught it with a slight grin of his own.

A shortcut through the servant's corridor led to a wooden staircase hidden behind the grand ballroom. Yao went up while Arthur went down. When he reached the ballroom floor, Arthur peeked out through a narrow doorway and caught sight of a young man standing at the center of the beautiful marble floor. He was shivering, judging by the way his candle shook in his hand. Dust motes danced down from the ceiling, giving the room a mysterious air.

Because he knew where to look, Arthur noticed the small figure in the flowing robe walking along the musician's platform at the other end of the ballroom. In the dusky light, he looked like a moving shadow from a bygone era.

The young man stared up at the murals along the upper wall with a confused expression on his face, like he couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. He noticed Yao's shadow a moment later and let out a blood-curdling shriek.

Arthur stifled a laugh at the poor boy's fright, then stopped laughing when he noticed the young man had started running toward the servant's door. "Watch out!" he shouted, trying and failing to move out of the way as the taller man barreled into him and knocked them both to the hard marble floor.

The man yelped in fear and stumbled backward. A large fluffy cat appeared out of nowhere and hissed at Arthur.

"Oh, don't be such a ninny," Arthur grumbled as he brushed the dust off of his pants. He offered his hand to the other man to help him up and gaped in shock as he finally took a good look at the other man's face. The right color of hair. The same Spadian blue eyes. He even had the stupid tuft of hair sticking up in the front! For a moment, Arthur felt like _he_ had seen a ghost, until he pulled himself together and remembered the plan. Fate had dropped the perfect actor into his lap. "I'm sorry for scaring you," he lied.

"I'm not scared!" the prince look-alike protested.

"Riiight." Arthur gave him an unimpressed look. "You were just shrieking in admiration at the murals, I suppose?"

"Shut up. I don't want to talk to you. I'm looking for Arthur." He turned back to walk across the ballroom, but Arthur cut in front of him, blocking the way.

"Hold up. Why do you want to find Arthur?" he asked.

"Somebody said he could forge me travel papers to Diamonds," the young blond whispered. "I'm not supposed to tell you who."

"You want to go to Diamonds?" Arthur raised both of his impressive eyebrows. The right appearance _and_ he wanted to travel to Diamonds? This one just kept getting better and better. Arthur could already imagine the pile of reward money he was going to split with Yao!

"Yeah, not that it's any of your business."

Arthur smirked. "As it happens, I _am_ Arthur and forging papers _is_ my business. Why don't you come up to my office and we'll see if we can work out an arrangement?" He gestured for Yao to join them and tried to hide his glee. Everything was falling into place. The only annoyance came in the form of the young man's mangy cat, who still seemed to hate Arthur, but at least Yao was happy to distract the cat with petting. Despite his sometimes stern exterior, Yao had a strange love for small, furry creatures.

"So, who do I have the pleasure of doing business with?" Arthur asked as he and the young man sat down together at a desk covered in various papers—including three train tickets to Diamonds. He could see the way the blond kept staring at them covetously.

"Freddie."

"No last name?"

"No." Freddie shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know who my family is, okay? I grew up in an orphanage."

"Ah, probably not a lot of money to pay for forgeries then. They are quite expensive, you know."

"They are?" Freddie looked gutted. "But it's just a piece of paper!"

"Very special paper with special ink and cross-hatching. Of course, there is another option…" Arthur grinned when he saw the way Freddie's eyes lit up with hope. "Has anyone ever told you how much you look like the lost prince of Spades?"

Freddie shook his head. "No, usually they just yelled at me for eating too much."

"Yao and I are trying to reunite the prince with his grandmother and we already have papers and a train ticket for _him_. Have you ever considered the possibility you might be a prince?"

The young man was sharper than he looked, because he pulled back with immediate revulsion. "I'm not lying to some old lady just to go to Diamonds!"

"It could be true," Arthur replied calmly. If he could get the young man to believe that it was possible, he and Yao wouldn't need to split the reward money three ways. "I've seen thousands of men in this city and none of them have looked as much like the prince as you do."

"You don't know who your family is," Yao added as he stroked the purring cat.

"You really could be the prince."

"But what if I'm not?"

Arthur shrugged. "I'm sure the prince's grandmother would know if it were just an honest mistake. If nothing else, you'll be in Diamonds. No cost to you."

Freddie bit his lip. He looked tempted, but an overgrown sense of honor was holding him back. Arthur never could understand why people valued honor so highly. It couldn't feed a hungry man or keep him warm at night. So what good was it?

"No, I don't think I can do it." Freddie lifted his cat out of Yao's arms and walked towards the office door.

"We'll be at the train station at noon tomorrow if you change your mind," Arthur called out. "And they don't allow cats on the train!"

Silence hung over the room and the candles flickered as the door opened and closed. Whatever had scared Freddie before had clearly disappeared, since they heard no screams as his footsteps echoed along the corridor.

"We should have told him about the plan," Yao muttered.

"He wouldn't have agreed to it and this way we don't have to split the money with him," Arthur replied. "Trust me. He'll be there tomorrow."

* * *

Even though he was a good judge of character, Arthur's confidence began to wane as the clock counted down toward noon at the cold train station. Bundled in jackets, he and Yao stood near the end of the train and watched and waited as the other passengers boarded. Arthur swore under his breath. In another minute, they would have to leave Soviet Spades and either abandon the plan or hope to find a princely look-alike in Diamonds.

"All aboard!" the conductor shouted as the train whistle blew.

They climbed up the rear of the train and felt the metal rumble to life beneath their feet.

"Wait!" a voice shouted, drawing Arthur's attention back to the platform. It was exactly noon and Freddie was running toward them with a heavy bag in his hand. He'd nearly made it to the end of the train, but it was building up speed quickly.

"Hurry up!" Arthur shouted as he stretched out his hand. As soon as he felt a strong grip on his hand, he pulled Freddie onto the train with all of his strength. The young man and his bag landed on top of Arthur, knocking him onto his back. The bag yowled like an angry cat. Arthur let it drop to the floor of the train and gave Freddie an annoyed look. "I thought I told you that you couldn't bring the cat!"

"You also told me that I was a prince," Freddie replied with a smug grin. "I don't think the no-cat rule applies to princes." Still smiling, he grabbed the bag and left to find an empty train compartment.

"I get the feeling this is going to be a very _long_ journey," Arthur said with a sigh.

* * *

 _A/N: Finally getting around to uploading this from A03. If you wonder why I haven't posted stories here lately it's because I've been posting them all on A03 first._


	2. In the Dark of the Night

By the time the sun began to set, Arthur was sick and tired of sharing a tiny train compartment with "his royal highness." More like his royal pain-in-the-ass!

Every statement turned into an argument, mostly about the cat that Freddie had snuck onto the train. Arthur bristled at Freddie's smug confidence, but he couldn't insist that Freddie ditch the cat… at least, not while he was still pretending that the boy might be royalty. Despite the physical similarities, it was obvious to him that the young man was nothing like the sweet boy he had known years ago. He could see that he and Yao had a great deal of work cut out for them.

After yet another argument, Arthur took a breather by walking from one end of the train to the other. He ground his teeth in frustration. The blond teenager was exceptionally good at riling him up and he didn't understand _why_. It should have been easy to ignore the prattling of a thoughtless young man, but Arthur couldn't push the boy out of his thoughts.

As he neared the luggage car, he could smell the burning coal that powered the steam engine. He wrinkled his nose. It was easy to see why the dining car was at the other end of the train. Arthur turned around and began his leisurely stroll back to his shared compartment.

The porters lit lanterns along the train corridors as the sun set outside. Arthur moved around one of the porters and opened his compartment door, glaring as he discovered that the annoying feline had stolen his seat by the window. Freddie lazed in the other window seat, meaning that both seats had been claimed by aggravating, annoying creatures.

Arthur strode forward. "Shoo, shoo!" he yelled at the cat, trying to reclaim his seat and earning a swipe of claws for his trouble.

"Hey, stop bothering Hero!" Freddie complained.

"He's not paying for a ticket. He doesn't deserve a seat, much less a window seat!"

"A hero always gets what he wants."

"Yeah? Well… Hero is a stupid name."

"No it's not!" the other man retorted, sticking out his tongue.

"Yes, it is!" Arthur tried to move the cat once more and discovered that it was impossible to lift a cat that had sunk its claws into the thick fabric covering the seat. With a long-suffering sigh, Arthur gave up and took the empty seat next to Freddie. He glanced across the dimly lit compartment to find Yao giving him a slight smile while the former Jack added another mark to a tally on a small piece of paper. "What's that?" Arthur asked irritably.

"Just keeping track of the number of times you were bested by a feline."

Freddie laughed. "You're gonna need a bigger piece of paper."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be checking our travel papers before we reach the border, Yao?" He would have gone himself, but Yao was better at gauging when bribery was an option and the right amount to bribe.

Still chuckling to himself, Yao tucked the slip of paper into his bag. He grabbed the rest of their papers and slipped out of the compartment.

"We're close to the border?" Freddie asked, his earlier mocking tone replaced with a sense of wonder. He pressed his nose against the window and gazed out at the snowy countryside. In the dusky gloom of twilight the hills and fields outside were bathed in various shades of dark blue.

Even from his aisle seat, Arthur took a moment to appreciate his last glimpse of Spades. "Yes," he replied, "but it's probably too dark to see the white line that marks the border."

"Really?" Freddie's eyes widened. "I thought that was just on maps!"

Arthur managed to keep a straight face for five seconds before bursting into laughter at the young man's gullibility.

Realizing his mistake, Freddie pouted and looked away. "Shut up!"

"I'll stop talking if you stop talking," Arthur snarked back.

Freddie crossed his arms. "Fine!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Fine!"

They sat in tense silence as the twilight countryside rolled past. Caught up in their own irritation, neither noticed the menacing green lights that appeared from the East and disappeared beneath the train. Arthur had expected the silence to be relaxing, but he felt on edge. He would never admit it, but he was almost relieved when Freddie broke the silence a moment later.

"You gonna miss it?" Freddie asked, still gazing out the window.

"Miss your talking? Hardly."

"No. Spades."

Arthur shrugged. "Not really."

Freddie turned to look at Arthur, a surprisingly sympathetic look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as Yao burst into the compartment. The cat jumped up from his seat and Yao grabbed his bag. "We need to hide," he hissed.

"What's wrong?" Freddie demanded as he stuffed his cat into his bag.

"The travel papers aren't blue anymore," Yao explained quietly.

Arthur grabbed his own bag and led the way through the corridors, walking quickly while trying to look like he was simply searching for a better compartment. They drew a few stares from passengers as they hurried toward the front end of the train. Fortunately, there were no Soviet Spades officials in sight. They would still have a little time to come up with their next plan.

The luggage car was cold and filled with the smell of burning coal. Arthur shivered as he looked for hiding spaces. If they were caught… they would almost certainly be thrown from the train. He just hoped that the snow was thick enough to cushion their fall.

"I thought you said you were good at forgeries!" Freddie complained, glaring at Arthur.

"I am! They keep changing the paper to make it harder!"

"Hide now. Fight later," Yao reminded them.

Arthur took a deep breath. "Right."

"Okay." Freddie nodded. "I accept your apology."

"That wasn't an apology!" Arthur shouted as Yao buried his face into his hands.

The train jerked wildly and all three stumbled and nearly fell onto the floor. Luggage spilled all around them, covering the floor in clothes and parcels. A horrible screech of metal filled the air. Arthur whirled around, watching as the door that led to the rest of the train fell off its hinges… revealing that the rest of the train had disconnected from the luggage car. Without the engine to power it, the cars slowed and fell behind, disappearing into the distance.

"Holy shit! What just happened?" Freddie demanded.

"I don't know, but I think we can stop worrying about the travel papers," Yao replied, shouting to be heard over the sound of the wind howling through the open door.

Feeling the train rumble beneath his feet, Arthur steadied himself against the wall and frowned. At this rate, the train would derail. He pushed his way through the luggage to the front of the car. Acrid smoke filled his nostrils as soon as he opened the door. Seeing no other option, he jumped from the luggage car to the engine car and pulled himself up the ladder to the bed of coals behind the engine room. Struggling to maintain his balance, Arthur stumbled forward and swung down into the engine room.

There was no one there.

Arthur looked around desperately. The coal fire was red hot, giving the train far more power than it needed. Not knowing what to do, his eyes lit upon the brake and he felt a rush of relief. He grabbed the brake and pulled it with all his strength. He leaned backward, nearly landing on his ass when the shaft broke in his hand. "Piece of shit train!" Arthur shouted in frustration, kicking the brake. He winced in pain. His foot hurt and the train wasn't slowing down.

Glass shattered all around him and the fires spit embers at him. Arthur covered his eyes and struggled to breathe in the waves of heat. Forced out by the glass and heat, he climbed back to the luggage car. "There's no one driving this train!" he shouted, earning shocked looks from Freddie and Yao. "We need to disconnect it!"

All three glanced down at the heavy iron hook connecting the two cars. The pin that was holding it in place had somehow melted into the rest of the metal.

Arthur tore through the boxes of train equipment looking for a tool. He grabbed a wrench, only to see that Freddie had found a stick of dynamite and matches. Arthur's eyes lit up with relief. That would do the trick!

The taller blond stuck the dynamite into the melted metal and they all raced for cover behind the pile of luggage. Arthur huddled next to Freddie and Yao.

With a loud boom, the dynamite exploded. The car shook, but thankfully stayed on the tracks. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. "What do they teach you in those orphanages?" he asked.

Freddie opened his mouth to response, then gaped in shock as he stared at the track ahead of them. Arthur turned around to see what had caught the other man's attention. The track led to a bridge… but the center of the bridge was completely gone. Judging by the distance, they had only a few minutes to escape the train before it plunged into the dark gorge below.

"We've got to jump!" Freddie shouted.

"After you!" Arthur yelled back, gesturing to the snow banks on either side that were rolling past at break-neck speeds.

"Arthur!" Yao tossed a hook and cable to Arthur. As the train continued to hurtle forward, Yao moved to attach his end of the steel cable to the front of the train. Immediately understanding Yao's plan, Arthur raced to the back of the train with the cable in hand.

"What are you doing?" Freddie cried, kneeling at the edge of the car and watching as Arthur hung from the end of the train and stretched his arm out to reach the tracks below.

Too busy to explain, Arthur took a quick breath and steadied himself. With a burst of desperate speed, he stretched out and hooked the cable onto the wooden railroad tie below. He instantly let go, but the tug backward was enough to make him lose his grip with his other hand. He dangled helplessly and time slowed to a crawl as he saw a piece of flaming debris bouncing beneath the car straight for him. A second later a strong hand grasped Arthur's wrist and pulled him to safety. Heart beating fast, Arthur watched while the debris flew through the spot he had been just a moment prior and then crashed into a snow bank.

"That could have been you," Freddie said, his flat tone belied by the worry in his eyes.

"I… if we survive this, remind me to thank you," Arthur grudgingly replied.

They moved away from the edge of the car and braced for impact. Yao, practical as always, had gathered their bags into a neat pile. He handed the squirming, yowling bag to Freddie. The train jerked as the cable grew taut. The rails pulled off the ground with a loud screech, sending the luggage car spinning in a half-circle. Clothes and tools went flying. Arthur dodged and struggled to stay upright. As the car began to slow down, he took a deep breath. They didn't have much time before they reached the broken bridge.

"End of the line!" Arthur cried, leaping into the snow bank and praying that they were slow enough to spare his neck. The snow engulfed him completely, knocking the breath out of his body. He heard two thumps near him.

Arthur blinked and unsteadily climbed out of the snow bank that had cushioned his fall. It was cold and dark outside, but at least he could see Yao and Freddie walking towards him. Even the stupid cat looked unhurt.

The first leg of the journey had gone terribly and a queasy sense of foreboding warned Arthur that there would be many obstacles in the path ahead. But for now… they were alive and they were out of Soviet Spades. The reward was worth it, Arthur told himself, as he grabbed his bag and started walking toward the lights of a small town in the distance. It would be worth it.


	3. Journey to the Past

After trudging through the snow and sleeping in a barn, all three men were extremely relieved to find a local farmer headed to market and willing to cart them to market day at the nearest city in exchange for a few coins. The only downside was that they had to share the back of the cart with a pile of turnips. Turnips, it turned out, did not make for a particularly comfortable seat.

"You know what I don't understand… why was that train even carrying dynamite?" Freddie wondered aloud.

Arthur blinked. "I… I don't know. And I wonder where the engine driver went."

"Maybe he was trying to stop me from reaching Diamonds!"

"That seems unlikely. No one on that train had any idea who you were."

Freddie pouted. "They definitely weren't going after you!"

"Can't you two be quiet for five minutes?" Yao complained, glancing up from his map of Hearts and giving them both an irritated look. "I need to figure out our next route."

And so Arthur sat in silence while Freddie tossed a turnip for Hero to play with. Somehow, despite their hectic escape from the train, the cat was still with them. Arthur scowled at the cat. At least this time the feline wouldn't be able to steal his seat.

Jostling from side to side as the cart hit what felt like every bump in the uneven dirt road, Arthur gripped the wooden plank behind him and tried to ignore the young man and his stupid cat in favor of watching the Hearts countryside roll past. Staring out of the back of the cart, he could see the snow cover gradually recede. The air grew warmer as they rumbled down the hillside toward the lush river valley below. It was still winter in Spades, but in Hearts it was already the beginning of spring.

Hearts had avoided the revolutionary fervor that had swept Spades ten years prior, but the country was still on edge. The people predicting war with Diamonds were enough to make Arthur want to retire to his own island. It would be lovely and green and he would have it all to himself. He closed his eyes and daydreamed.

"So what's the plan, Yao? Are we hitch-hiking to Diamonds?" Arthur asked when enough time had safely passed to risk conversation.

"We can take a bus from Euchre to Bésigue," Yao replied, drawing his finger along the map. "And then a train from Bésigue to Triomphe."

"Ugh, I'm sick of trains," Freddie complained as he pulled a face.

For once, Arthur was inclined to agree. "I hate to say it, but I'd prefer a locomotive-free route as well." When the other two men gave him looks of astonishment, he added defensively, "Just because we argue _most_ of the time doesn't mean that we can't occasionally agree."

"Yeah it does," Freddie replied.

"No, it doesn't."

"Does do."

"Does n—stop that!"

"Stop what?" the younger blond asked innocently.

"Just… all of it!" Arthur cried, tossing his hands into the air in utter exasperation. He honestly couldn't understand why Freddie found it so easy to worm under his skin. A suspicion tickled at the back of his mind, but Arthur angrily pushed it aside. He merely found the young man irritating. Nothing more.

As Arthur tamped down his churning emotions, he took the map from Yao and racked his brain to think of an alternate route. He'd never learned much about geography other than listening to nobles gossip at dinner, but a glance at a major Hearts port gave him an idea. There would certainly be a ship from Gleke to Triomphe. A gentle ocean voyage sounded soothing after the excitement of their derailed train. He had always liked the sea.

"It'll do," Yao agreed when Arthur explained the ocean route. "Of course, we'll have to walk to Karnöffel before we can catch a bus."

"Ah! It's only a few weeks to Karnöffel," the farmer called helpfully from the front of the cart, giving them a broad grin.

Just a few weeks spent with the most annoying young man he had ever met. Arthur sighed and reminded himself that it was temporary. Once he 'reunited' Freddie with the dowager empress, he would be free of the young man's tedious company forever and instead he could spend his time with a lovely pile of money.

It was such a nice thought that Arthur was still smiling to himself when they arrived at the edge of town, drawing to a stop amidst the crowds gathered around stalls of grains and vegetables. They pulled to the side of the road and the three men hopped out. Freddie waved goodbye to the friendly farmer while Yao led the way through town, stopping at a few stalls to haggle for supplies. With any luck they could sleep in barns for most of the journey, but they would still need food and sleeping bags. Making their way through the market, they passed through rapidly dwindling crowds until they reached the edge of the town. A few carts passed by, leaving them with the entire dirt road to themselves as they began the long trek toward Karnöffel.

Arthur took one step at a time and reminded himself of his goal. The flowers were blooming, the birds were singing, and even their long walk didn't seem so bad when there was a giant pile of money waiting for Arthur at the other end. His luggage felt light in his hand as they crossed a wooden bridge over a babbling brook.

Freddie trudged nearby, carrying his luggage with one arm and his cat with the other. If he wanted to waste his energy on a stupid feline, well, that wasn't Arthur's problem.

"Why are you so happy?" Freddie asked, giving Arthur a suspicious look.

"Just pleased to be out of Spades," Arthur blithely replied, seeing no reason to mention the huge profits waiting for him at the end of their journey.

Freddie frowned. "Why? Wasn't it your home?"

"It was a place I once lived. End of story."

"That can't be the only thing," Freddie replied. His eyes suddenly widened. "I get it, you've got someone waiting for you in Diamonds!"

"No." Arthur snorted and shook his head.

"He doesn't have a sweet Vanya waiting for him," Yao teased.

"What's a Vanya?" Freddie asked, head tilted in curiosity.

"Oh, my sweet Vanya, Vanya, Vanya!" Yao said with a dreamy look on his face. "You'll love her when you meet her."

Arthur winced. Of course Yao would talk about the one noble he wasn't supposed to mention! They had 'neglected' to tell Freddie that he would have to convince an intermediary that he was Prince Alfred before he would have a chance to meet with the empress. "Hey, is anyone else hungry? Maybe it's time for lunch," Arthur suggested, hoping to distract Freddie before Yao could divulge too many details.

"My Vanya is a sweet mooncake," Yao gushed, a gentle smile on his normally serious face. "Like a warm cup of tea after a walk in the snow," he waxed poetic. "She is a dumpling filled with sunflowers and happiness!"

Freddie turned back toward Arthur and raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm hungry too. Is this Vanya a person or a pastry?"

"She's the empress's cousin!" Yao replied indignantly.

"Her cousin? Why are we meeting her cousin?" Freddie wondered for a moment before his expression darkened. "Arthur, what aren't you telling me?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that you don't meet the dowager empress until you convince her cousin that you're Prince Alfred?" Arthur asked innocently.

Freddie stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around. "Hold up a second, that wasn't the deal! Show up, yes. Look good, sure. But _lie_?"

"It's not lying. It's selective truth-telling."

"You don't care if I'm actually Prince Alfred or not, you just want me to feed her all the right answers so she'll give you the reward money!"

"No! I want you to know all of the right answers so you have a chance to meet the empress and find out for yourself," Arthur lied persuasively, desperate to keep his con alive. When he saw a hint of doubt flicker in Freddie's eyes, he pressed his advantage. "You don't know if it's the truth or not, but she will."

Still wearing a distrustful look, Freddie turned around and headed back toward the bridge. Arthur took a few steps to follow him, but stopped when Yao shook his head. "Let me handle this," he whispered.

"Fine." Arthur crossed his arms and watched as Yao followed Freddie to the bridge. The two leaned on the railing and chatted for a while as Arthur watched impatiently. He didn't understand why Freddie was being so difficult. All he had to do was go to Diamonds and mouth the right words. He didn't need to be so particular about 'the truth' and 'finding his real family.'

By the end of their little chat, Freddie looked encouraged and Yao had stopped talking about Vanya and no longer had a stupid love-struck smile on his face. So long as no one mentioned sunflowers, they would probably be safe for the rest of the trip. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that his ticket to riches wasn't walking away from them.

"…and I have known my share of royals," Yao finished explaining as they drew closer.

Freddie's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. Just look at the way you boss Arthur around. He used to be a palace servant you know, so it must come naturally to you."

"Yeah, it is really easy," Freddie agreed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Although Yao had convinced Freddie to stay, Arthur worried that it would come at the cost of his dignity. "You can't have it both ways," he complained, scowling at Freddie. "If you're going to be a royal prat, then you need to learn everything we teach you."

"I'm ready to learn… but there's one more thing." Freddie held up a finger as Yao smothered an impatient sigh. "You still haven't thanked me for saving your life."

Arthur blinked, surprised at the simple request. If that was the price, it was a pretty cheap one. Especially since Freddie hadn't bothered to ask for a _sincere_ thank you. Arthur smirked and executed a mocking bow. "But of course. Thank you, oh gracious prince for deigning to assist a lowly commoner who was merely trying to slow down the train and save all of our lives."

Freddie gave him an unimpressed look. "That wasn't much of a thank you."

"No, it was perfect!" Yao cried, placing one hand on Arthur's back and another on Freddie's as he steered them along the road to Diamonds. "The flourish of the bow and the barely hidden disdain are exactly how nobles deliver polite insults." He patted Freddie on the shoulder. "You will need to be able to do that yourself if you want anyone to take you seriously."

"Well, if Arthur can do it, I'm sure I can too!" Freddie made his own mocking bow and smirked at Arthur.

"Good, now do it again! And work on your posture," Yao added, placing a small journal on top of Freddie's head. The young man took a few hesitant steps forward and frowned as the journal tumbled to the ground. "Try again!" Yao said. "You must float like a little boat."

Freddie looked confused. "But I'm on land."

"That doesn't matter! Half of nobility is having the right posture," Yao explained, pressing his hand between Freddie's shoulder blades as they kept walking. "The other half is knowing everyone's names, titles, and history. Now, let us start at the beginning. Your actual title is Grand Prince Alfred Fritz Johanneson and you were born in the Summer Palace near Whist…"

Arthur trailed behind and smiled to himself as he watched Freddie struggle to memorize every detail. He looked so confused and overwhelmed that even Arthur felt a twinge of sympathy along with his amusement. If he was going to enjoy beautiful spring weather while watching Yao mold Freddie into the perfect prince, perhaps he would enjoy the next few weeks after all.


	4. Learn to Do It

Something strange happened as they began to teach Freddie more and more about his "past." The more the young man learned, the more he believed it, and the more confident he became. With his head held high and a pleasant smile on his face, he actually could pass for a prince. At least, until it came time for lunch.

Of all Freddie's bad habits, his meal time behavior was the worst. The teenager devoured his food with absolutely no manners or finesse, eating like he was afraid that someone was going to steal his meal. Given the teen's childhood in an orphanage, Arthur wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. He even found himself feeling a smidgen of pity for the young man. How much of his loud, arrogant behavior was a defensive mechanism? Was it just a way to show the world that he was more than a poor orphan, even when he didn't really believe in himself?

"No, no. Never slurp and don't lean forward," Yao corrected, fixing Freddie's posture with a tap to the back from a long, thin stick. They had created a makeshift table on the side of the road. A fallen tree trunk served as a bench while a different stump provided a table.

Freddie's cat chased a squirrel into the forest and Arthur silently hoped that it would run off for good. There were bite marks in his loaf of bread, and he was pretty sure he knew who was to blame. The cat was nearly as bad as its owner when it came to eating everything in sight.

"That's right. Just a few drops in the spoon and then lift it to your lips," Yao explained once he was satisfied with Freddie's straight back.

After daintily sipping his soup, Freddie gave a heart-felt sigh. "I'm never gonna finish it!"

"You wouldn't want to," Arthur said, finally chiming in on the lesson. Usually he left the instructions to Yao, but he was pretty sure he knew the right motivation for Freddie. "You're supposed to save room for all of the other courses… like dessert."

"Oh." Freddie lowered his spoon and looked much more interested. "What sort of dessert?"

"As many puddings as you can possibly imagine. Custards and trifles, cakes and tarts… the chef loved to try different recipes. He once made a cherry flambé for the King's ruby jubilee."

"Really?" Freddie's eyes widened and his tongue darted out to lick his lips. He turned to Yao with a smile. "I want to try one of those!"

"Not until you get _this_ right," Yao replied, sternly tapping the bowl with his stick.

Freddie sighed once more with exaggerated exasperation; Arthur hid his smile and went back to nibbling his own small lunch. He remembered the joys of dipping his finger into the leftovers as he brought plates back to the kitchen. Even though the desserts had been delicious, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Tasty morsels for a lucky few and leftovers for everyone else… that was what had led to the revolution in a nutshell.

Once Freddie had mastered soup to Yao's satisfaction, they packed up their food and continued walking along the road. Hearts had more forests than Spades, giving them some lovely, dappled shade as they walked beneath the boughs.

The cat sauntered next to Freddie, before eventually growing tired and deciding to ride on the young man's broad shoulders. The feline provided a nice incentive for Freddie to practice a smooth gait; if he jerked around too much Hero would 'correct' him with claw marks. Not that Arthur was paying particular attention to the young man and his broad shoulders, of course. He was just waiting to see how long it took for the cat to give up on their long-distance trek.

"Let's see… born in a palace by the sea. Horseback riding by age three. Teased the baronet. Had a panda as a pet," Freddie smiled to himself as he recited his lessons from earlier that morning. "Sounds like a good life, doesn't it, Hero?" The cat meowed and rubbed his face.

As they continued to talk while they walked, the lessons on manners and etiquette eventually shifted to Spadian politics and history. Unsurprisingly, Freddie was most interested in learning about the revolution and what had happened on the night most of the royal family died.

"But what caused it?" Freddie asked, turning to Yao, who had provided most of the answers up until that point.

The former Jack shook his head regretfully. "All I know is rumors. I was in Clubs at the time, which is why I am still alive."

"They were hosting a ball," Arthur said quietly. "One of their old royal advisers arrived and he started shouting at the King and Queen. He was so furious that they had cast him aside that he made a deal with a Joker."

"A joker? I thought they were just legends!"

"Perhaps. It's hard to say if he was telling the truth. He claimed to have put a curse on the whole family, but I think he just hired mercenaries to storm the palace. The only nobles who survived were the ones who used the servant's passageway," he explained, omitting his own role in saving the prince's life that fateful night. He'd never told anyone. Part of him hoped that if he ever found the _real_ prince, the young man would recognize him based on that memory. Arthur had been very fond of the sweet young prince, not that he would ever admit it to someone as annoying as Freddie.

"After that, that country fell in disarray," Yao added. "The council rose up to lead us, but they ruled with an iron fist."

Freddie frowned thoughtfully and they walked in silence for a fair distance. The crisp spring weather was sunny and glorious, but it was hard to enjoy it when Arthur's feet were starting to chafe from so much walking. As a city-dweller, he wasn't used to walking such long distances.

The dirt road eventually led them out of the forest and passed along a fenced meadow. Two horses frolicked in the padlock, drawing Freddie's attention. He stopped walking and leaned against the fence with a smile slowly spreading across his lips. "You know, I bet I still remember how to ride."

"I'm sure you don't," Arthur retorted, positive that the orphan had never ridden a horse in his life and would break his neck if he tried.

"Come on. It's gotta be like riding a bicycle!"

Arthur arched an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to ride a bicycle?"

Freddie shrugged and grinned. "No, but how hard can it be?"

"Trickier than you imagine. And that's not even the biggest problem with your plan. Most people don't just let strangers borrow their horses." Arthur knew that one from personal experience.

"I bet they would for a charming prince."

Arthur snorted. "Well, let me know when you find one of those."

"Hey! I can be charming when I try," Freddie protested.

"I'd like to see you try more often."

"Okay!" Freddie agreed cheerfully. He dropped his bag next to the fence and started climbing over. Apparently he needed more lessons in dry wit in addition to everything else they were teaching him.

"I didn't mean _right now_ ," Arthur complained, but the young man was already out of earshot and halfway across the field.

"My feet needed a rest anyway," Yao said, sitting down on his suitcase as he stretched out his legs. "Are you going to follow him?" he asked, giving Arthur a sly look.

"I can hardly let our little actor break his neck," Arthur retorted, refusing to admit that he had any personal feelings in the matter. He scrambled over the fence, torn between discouraging Freddie from his harebrained plan or just sitting back and watching him land on his ass when he inevitably fell off the horse. It would be satisfying to see the arrogant teenager fail, but he also needed the boy in one piece to collect his reward.

By the time he reached the barn, he found Freddie chatting with a pretty young farmer's daughter as she groomed a tall, black horse. "…but he doesn't believe me," the young man finished, giving her a broad smile and jerking a thumb in Arthur's direction. "Mind if I borrow a horse to prove him wrong?"

She set down her currycomb and brushed the straw off her blue dirndl, smiling at Freddie with a slight blush. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give them a bit of exercise. You can even stay the night if you muck the stalls afterward and lay down fresh straw."

Arthur rolled his eyes. He had no compunction about lying to naïve farm girls, but he found it irritating to watch Freddie smile at her so flirtatiously. The teen didn't like lying, so why was he he okay with faking an interest in a poor girl to go for a ride? Arthur crossed his arms and gave Freddie a stern look. "If you keep wasting time, we'll never get to Gleke."

The young woman blinked and seemed to notice Arthur for the first time. "Oh, is this the friend who doubts your riding prowess?"

"'Friend' seems like an awfully strong word for our relationship," Arthur dryly replied. "I prefer 'reluctant traveling companion.'"

"I prefer 'manservant,'" Freddie teased while the farm girl laughed.

She clapped her hands together. "Come on! I'll help you saddle the horse. I have to see this little bet for myself."

"Be sure to saddle one for Arthur, too," Freddie added, helping her lift the saddle blanket and saddle onto the nearest horse's back.

"Wait! I'm not getting up on one of those beasts," Arthur protested. "Just because _you_ feel like risking your neck doesn't mean that I'm foolish enough to take the same risk."

"So you admit that I'm better at riding than you are?" Freddie smirked as he leaned against one of the wooden stalls.

Arthur crossed his arms. "Of course not!"

"No? Then you're going to have to prove it!" Putting thought to deed, Freddie helped the farm girl finish saddling the horses and swung up into the taller one's saddle.

Even though he knew there was no logical reason to give in to the whims of a cocky teenager, Arthur nevertheless found himself awkwardly perched on the saddle of a tall gelding a few minutes later. He silently cursed his own pride and gripped the reins tightly as the horse ambled out of the barn. Arthur struggled to adjust to the strange up-and-down motion from the horse's choppy gait.

They each practiced a trot, and then a canter, exploring the wide, green meadow as Arthur struggled to keep his seat. It was a bumpy enough ride that he almost thought longingly of trains, despite their recent mishap. With any luck, Freddie would fall off and they could both go back to walking.

Unfortunately for him, Freddie's natural affinity for animals seemed to extend to horses. He galloped in a circle in the green meadow before bringing his horse over to Arthur and giving him a broad grin. "Whoever doesn't make it over the creek has to muck the stalls!"

Arthur bit his lip and watched as Freddie galloped toward a little creek that cut through the field. The young man leaned forward, gripping the horse's mane as it launched itself into the air and flew to the other side in a graceful arch. The cocky teen wheeled the horse around and blew a kiss to his audience. Arthur turned his head over his shoulder to see if the farm girl was still standing behind him. He frowned when he realized that she was.

Well… if Freddie could jump his horse over the creek, it couldn't be too hard, right? Arthur nudged his horse with his feet and held on tightly. It felt like his teeth were rattling about in his head. The creek drew closer and closer and Arthur began to panic. He squeezed his thighs for a good grip, which the horse interpreted as a sign to stop. Mud flying around its hooves, the horse pulled to a sudden halt at the very edge of the creek. Momentum sent Arthur flying out of the saddle and over its head.

He barely had time to curl into a ball before landing with a hard thump on the other side of the creek. He groaned, opened his eyes, and took stock. The water might have made for a softer landing, but at least his clothes weren't coated in mud.

The sound of hoofbeats came closer. When he looked up, Arthur was surprised to see that Freddie's expression was more worried than smug. "You okay there, Artie?"

Arthur slowly climbed to his feet and brushed the dirt off his trousers. He could feel a few bruises developing, but he was pretty sure the worst bruise was on his ego. "For the record, since _I_ made it over the creek, you need to help me with the stalls."

"Fair enough." Freddie laughed and relented easily. He helped Arthur lead his horse back to the barn and did his fair share of the work while Yao cooked their dinner. True to form, they bickered as they mucked the stalls. Arthur refused to acknowledge that Freddie's jump was anything other than 'beginner's luck,' while Freddie claimed it was entirely skill.

Arthur leaned his pitchfork against the side of the barn once he was finished with the last stall. "Do you even remember ever riding a horse?"

"No," Freddie admitted. "But something in me knew it."

"It's a pity that part of you can't tell a salad fork from a fish fork," Arthur retorted, though a small part of him started to wonder if there was more to their little orphan than he knew. He brushed the thought aside. Freddie was just lucky.

Dinner was another lesson in manners, ending when the farm girl brought them a few extra blankets and apologized for the proximity of the barn to the pig sty.

"It's not a problem at all," Arthur reassured her. "I'm already traveling with a pig."

"Hmm! M wasent mat!" Freddie complained, his mouth stuffed with food.

"I was _referring_ to your fat cat."

Freddie swallowed. "Hero's not fat, he's fluffy."

"He's very cute," the farm girl agreed, leaning down to deliver a few scritches along Hero's jaw. The cat purred loudly and rubbed against her leg when she finished. "Well, let me know if you need anything!" she said, winking at Freddie as she left.

Arthur grumbled to himself as he tried to find a comfortable sleeping position in the loose pile of hay. He was pretty sure he was going to wake up with straws of hay sticking out of his hair, not that anyone would likely notice given the similarity in color and the overall messiness of his hair.

"That was really nice of her," Freddie said, unrolling his own sleeping bag in a hay pile far away from Arthur.

"I'm sure she's hoping you'll go to her looking for more comfortable accommodations for the night."

Freddie gave him a blank look. "What?"

"In her bed," Arthur clarified.

"In her…" Freddie blushed and laughed. "That's silly. She was just being nice."

Arthur gaped. "Being nice? She was flirting with you, you dolt! And you were flirting back!"

"No, I wasn't!"

"I will admit that the poor boy does seem remarkably obtuse about realizing when people are flirting with him," Yao commented sardonically. "But that's enough arguing for tonight."

"I think I'd know if someone was flirting with me," Freddie continued to protest as Yao blew out the final lantern. "And anyway, she's not my type."

Arthur stared into the darkness, burning with curiosity. He didn't want Freddie to have the last word, but he also didn't know what to say. As much as he was dying to ask for more information about Freddie's 'type,' he knew Yao would never let him live it down if he did. With a sigh, Arthur curled deeper under his blankets and reminded himself of the plan. A few more days to Karnöffel, a bus to Gleke, and then they would be on a ship and home free. Dreaming of smooth sailing ahead, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep and pleasant slumber.


	5. One, Two, Three

Although he was grateful that they were finished walking, the ship was not quite everything Arthur had hoped for. It didn't take long for him to examine their cabin and its furniture, simply because there wasn't much there. The beige walls suffered from streaks of mildew and the carpet had stains that Arthur would rather not think about. The room was just big enough for two narrow cots, with a small area between them. There wasn't even a porthole. Between the three of them and their luggage, it would be a tight squeeze.

"It's kinda small," Freddie complained, stating the obvious as he glanced about the cabin.

"What were you expecting, the Royal Suite?" Arthur retorted.

Claiming the closer cot, Yao sat down and leaned back with a weary sigh. "This journey has been too much for old bones!"

"It hasn't been much fun for young ones either," Arthur grumbled, thinking of their near deaths on the train and the difficulty he had buying boat tickets without proper papers. It had taken a hefty bribe, leaving them with no money to spare for a better room. It seemed their entire voyage was plagued by a curse. He stepped forward, eager to throw himself into the other cot, only to have Freddie beat him to it.

The teenager grinned back cheekily as he stretched his legs out across the cot. "I think a prince deserves to have a bed," he said. "Don't you?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to tell Freddie that he wasn't royalty. He was just some poor orphan with memory loss who bore a striking resemblance to the lost prince of Spades. But since he'd rather split the reward money two ways instead of three, Arthur bit his tongue. "Of course, your majesty," he said sarcastically.

"Artie, you don't need to be so formal! A simple 'sir' will do."

Grumbling to himself, Arthur took out his frustration with a swift kick to Freddie's luggage. The bag promptly yowled back at him as an angry, fluffy cat climbed out, his fur standing completely on edge. He swiped his claws at Arthur, who scrambled away in the nick of time. The cat jumped onto Freddie's cot and hissed at Arthur.

"I thought you'd lost him on the bus," Arthur muttered.

"Nah, he was just taking a nap," Freddie replied, scratching behind Hero's ears. The cat meowed happily and curled up against him, acting like he hadn't just tried to claw off Arthur's legs.

"Don't let anyone see him or they'll kick us off the ship. I doubt your stupid cat would enjoy being tossed into the ocean."

Freddie brushed aside his warning. "Pfft. I'm royalty, remember? They wouldn't dare."

Arthur scowled. He was royally sick of the teenager's attitude. "No one will recognize you as royalty until the dowager says you are! Until then, you're just a mangy orphan with a mangy pet." The brief flicker of hurt on Freddie's face made Arthur regret his harsh words, but he was too proud to take them back.

Yao sighed the weary sigh of someone who had just spent the past few weeks in close quarters with the two squabbling young men. "Arthur, why don't you see if we can borrow a gramophone this evening? I'd like to start with dancing lessons."

"Fine!" Arthur huffily agreed, slamming the door behind him as he left.

With the help of his stealth and light fingers, he successfully 'borrowed' a gramophone from one of the nicer areas of the passenger ship, swiping a few records with different dance tunes. He returned to the cabin feeling rather pleased with himself.

When he stepped into the cabin, his jaw dropped to the floor. Freddie had been wearing scruffy clothes when he left, but now he had changed into a well-fitting evening suit that accentuated his long legs and lean hips. It was Spades style—dark blue with a double-breasted vest and brown pants. Arthur looked him over from head to toes, amazed at the complete transformation caused by a simple change in clothes. Wearing a handsome suit, Freddie looked every inch the golden-haired, blue-eyed prince.

"It's not very comfortable," Freddie complained as he tried to readjust his lapels, ruining the illusion with his whining.

"It's not supposed to be," Arthur replied, leaning over to straighten the labels. "It's supposed to look nice and... where did you find a suit anyway?"

Freddie smiled. "Yao made it for me! Did you know he can tailor?"

"Yes. He had a shop for a little while after the fall of Spades." Arthur didn't mention that he only knew about the shop because Yao caught him trying to steal clothes when he was living on the streets. The older man had taken pity on him and given him a job, which eventually blossomed into their little partnership when they both decided they were tired of living under the deprivations of Soviet Spades.

Distracted by his memories, it took Arthur a moment to notice the sound of Hero knocking over his luggage. Something rolled out and the cat batted the sparkly item under the cot. "What is your damn cat doing now?" he asked.

"Let me get that." Ignoring the fact that he wasn't supposed to kneel down on the carpet in his nice new suit, Freddie bent over and pulled the object out from underneath the cot. "Looks like he wanted to play around with your music box."

"What music box?" Arthur asked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion. He glanced over at the object and, with a gasp of recognition, snatched it out of Freddie's hands. "This is a priceless Spadian antique! Keep your fleabag away from it!"

"Hero isn't a fleabag!" Freddie shouted back. Ignoring the risk of cat hair on his nice suit, he picked the cat up into his arms. He brushed past Arthur and slammed the door behind him. At the rate they were going, the ship owner was going to charge them extra for repairs to the cabin door.

Arthur stared down at the heavy, ornate object and frowned to himself. He had always thought that it was a beautiful, gold-encrusted paperweight. He couldn't imagine why Freddie would call it a music box. Still grumbling to himself about annoying teenagers and their fleabags, he wrapped the precious object into one of his shirts and stuffed it into the bottom of his suitcase. When they finally arrived in the capital of Diamonds, the paperweight would be their ticket to an audience with the dowager. It wasn't a cat toy! Still scowling, Arthur changed into his nicest clothes. Even though he was annoyed, the lessons had to continue, and he wasn't going to let Freddie look nicer than him while dancing.

By the time Arthur arrived at the top of the deck, Hero was out of sight and Freddie seemed to have calmed down enough to put up with more lessons. They had impressed upon him the necessity of training carefully to give him the mannerisms and knowledge of a prince. It wasn't enough to _look_ like a prince, he had to _act_ like one too. And being royalty meant knowing how to dance at even the fanciest ball.

At least the weather was cooperating, giving them a lovely evening. The sun had just started to set on the ocean's horizon, bathing the deck in warm oranges and reds. A breeze filled the air with a hint of salt. It was the clear sky at night that gave sailors great delight. And because the other passengers were busy in the dining room, they even had the lower deck to themselves, giving Arthur and Freddie plenty of room to practice. (Yao had begged off teaching this lesson, insisting that dancing was best left to younger knees.)

"I think we should start with a waltz," Arthur suggested, trying to keep his tone civil.

"All right," Freddie agreed stiffly as Yao placed a waltz record on the gramophone.

The gentle strains of a waltz filled the air and, ignoring the tension between them, Arthur carefully positioned their hands into the correct pose. He held Freddie's hand with his left hand and rested his right hand on Freddie's back, feeling the firm muscles beneath his fingers. He led Freddie through the basic steps and was pleasantly surprised to find that the teenager was light on his feet. The teen didn't even make the beginner's mistake of staring at the floor. Instead, he kept his eyes on Arthur's face, sending a strange twinge down Arthur's spine.

Before he could think about what the twinge meant, he heard Yao call to him from his position near the gramophone. "You have to let him lead, Arthur!"

"Ah… right." Arthur flushed and moved his hands.

A satisfied look crossed Freddie's face as they switched positions. Despite his lack of training, the teenager led Arthur smoothly across the deck. If he closed his eyes, Arthur could almost imagine they were dancing at a palace ball. The chandeliers would glitter above them while sparkling gowns and jewels filled the floor. It had been beautiful and magical when Arthur snuck a glance from the palace kitchens, but it was a world that was gone forever. He opened his eyes again and found Freddie smiling at him.

"I think I like this better than the history lessons," the teen admitted.

"To be honest, so do I," Arthur agreed. Teaching history to Freddie was like teaching a bear to ride on a unicycle.

"So... am I supposed to do anything else while we dance?"

"Make polite conversation, I suppose. Tell your partner how pretty she looks."

Freddie grinned. "Why, Arthur, you look very pretty this evening."

"Same to you," the con artist replied, rolling his eyes. A traitorous part of his brain noted that his comment wasn't nearly as sarcastic as it should have been. Freddie did look good in the suit and when he wasn't being an annoying prick, he could be nice. Arthur almost felt bad for tricking the teen into thinking he was royalty. Still... it would be a lot easier to convince the dowager to part with the reward money if Freddie truly believed that he was the prince.

They danced for a few seconds after the music ended and a pleasant dizziness filled Arthur's head. He wasn't used to so much spinning.

"I'm sorta dizzy," Freddie admitted, echoing Arthur's thoughts.

"Me, too. I suppose… we should stop."

"Yeah." Freddie stopped moving his feet, but he didn't let go of Arthur's hands. They continued standing in the same close pose for another few heartbeats before Yao's cough brought them back to reality.

"That was... acceptable," Arthur said as he hastily pulled away. He was worried that he was coming down with something. It was the only possible explanation for his racing heart and sweaty palms. "I think we've had enough dancing for the night," he said. He decided he would return the gramophone later, when he was feeling better.

"Alright, dinner time!" Freddie cried, eagerly leading the way toward the third-class dining room.

"Yes, and time for your dinner etiquette lesson," Yao reminded him as they walked along the ship corridor, making the smile disappear from Freddie's face. As much as the teen loved food, he hated having to use the right fork, knife, and spoon for everything.

"Ugh. Food is supposed to be fun," the young man complained as they found three seats in the cheapest dining room. "Why torture me with constant tests? If I can eat soup with it, then it's a soup spoon!" He glanced at the food and then at Arthur, who was barely touching his own food. After a moment's pause, the teenager gave Arthur a confused look. "Aren't you going to make some snappy remark or call me an idiot?"

Lost in his own thoughts, Arthur glanced up. For some reason, he found himself tongue-tied in the face of Freddie's handsome face and nice suit. "Huh?"

"Come on, you always have a witty retort when I complain. Something like," the teenager scrunched up his face in an imitation of Arthur's scowl, "You think this is torture for you? We're the ones who have to bloody spoon-feed you manners."

"Your accent is terrible," Arthur replied, though his comment lacked its usual bite.

Yao and Freddie both gave him concerned looks.

"Are you feeling okay?" Yao asked.

"No... I think I'm going back to the room," Arthur replied, leaving the two alone with their food. There was a tight coil in his stomach and painful clenching sensation near his heart. Given his illness, he felt well justified in stealing Freddie's cot for the night. Unfortunately, he returned to find Hero had sprawled out across the entire cot.

"You're arrogant and ungrateful, just like your owner," Arthur said. He tried to push the cat off the bed, but the cat hissed and moved to bite him.

Giving up, Arthur pulled out their coats and made a pathetic bed for himself on the narrow area of floor between the two cots. He tried to imagine the luxurious mattresses he would be able to afford once he collected the reward money for finding the lost prince of Spades, but for some reason the thought made his chest hurt even more. Unable to understand the pain in his heart, Arthur fell into an exhausted slumber.

Hours later, he woke to the pain of _something_ biting his toe. Arthur yelped and kicked out his foot. He felt fur and opened his eyes to see that it was the cat. Hero raced over to the door and began clawing at it, clearly begging for Arthur to open it.

"Get Freddie to let you out," Arthur muttered, rolling over as he tried to go back to sleep. His eyes happened to fall on Freddie's cot and he noticed that the boy was gone. The cat's sense of urgency made Arthur climb to his feet as the room tossed with the motion of an angry ocean, forcing Arthur to press his hand against the wall to steady himself. He wondered how a storm could have developed out of such a clear sky.

Feeling uneasy, Arthur opened the door and watched the cat race toward the staircase that led to the deck. Picking up the pace, Arthur chased after him as his sense of unease grew.

Rain pelted Arthur's face as soon as he reached the deck. Between the darkness and the downpour, he could barely see more than a few yards in front of him. He fumbled for the rail and tried to find the stupid cat as the ship bounced up and down in the turbulent waves. He didn't care about the pet in the slightest, but losing it overboard would leave Freddie distraught and the teenager wouldn't be able to convince anyone that he was a prince if he was a blubbering mess. At least, that was what Arthur told himself. As he ran across the tossing deck, he wondered what could have possessed the cat to race outside in the storm. Hoping for a better line of sight, he climbed to the captain's outlook and looked for a hint of movement in the darkness.

A flash of lightning illuminated the deck. In that brief moment of light, Arthur saw a familiar figure climbing the railing at the edge of the ship with a cat clawing at his heels.

"Freddie!" Arthur shouted, trying to draw the young man's attention. His heart turned to ice when he realized that Freddie looked like he was going to fall off the railing. Arthur grabbed the nearest rope and swung out across the ship, desperately grabbing Freddie before he could tumble overboard. The young man struggled against him, and if it weren't for Arthur's death grip on the rope, they would have both gone over.

Instead, they fell backward, landing with a heavy thump on the deck that knocked the air from Arthur's lungs. At least the jarring movement seemed to return the young man to his senses.

"Arthur?" Freddie asked in a small voice, his pupils wide with fear as he rolled off Arthur. They struggled to their feet on the tossing ship. Freddie clutched Arthur and sobbed against his chest. "It was a curse! The Spades curse!"

"Sssh. It's okay," Arthur said reassuringly as he rubbed Freddie's back. He regretted telling the impressionable young man about what had happened during the revolution. "It was just a nightmare. You're safe."

He pulled Freddie back toward the stairs and led him below decks, still trying to soothe away the young man's sobs. As Arthur glanced back, he saw Hero following them, meowing piteously the whole way. Drenched and dripping water on the floor, the two men and the cat made enough noise to wake up Yao when they returned to their cabin.

"Decide to go for a swim?" Yao asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Freddie sleepwalks," Arthur replied. He wanted to go 'borrow' some towels to dry off, but he was forced to sit down with Freddie on the cot because the terrified teenager refused to loosen his grip. "He tried to sleepswim too, but I grabbed him in time."

Although he tried to act calm, Arthur could feel his heart continue to race. He decided that his pounding heart was simply the result of nearly seeing his hard work go to waste. If Freddie had fallen overboard, it was goodbye to the reward money because they would never again find such a close look-alike. It wasn't like he _cared_ for the young man. Why would he? Freddie was annoying and childish and arrogant… and attractive and foolishly optimistic and surprisingly cheerful despite everything.

Arthur's eyes widened in realization as his heart beat a complicated pattern against his chest from the delayed shock of nearly seeing Freddie go overboard. This was awful! Falling in love with the clueless young man was _not_ part of the plan!

Fortunately, no one noticed Arthur's sudden distress. Yao had gone to fetch them some dry towels and Freddie was too busy clutching on to Arthur for dear life to notice much of anything.

While Arthur was still frozen in shock, the wet cat squirmed his way between him and Freddie. Within moments, Freddie happily switched over to hugging the cat, and Arthur finally managed to escape the wet embrace. He tried to be grateful, but mostly he was just jealous that the cat had stolen his place. He was the one who had done all of the hard work in the rescue effort, not the stupid cat!

"Cold," Freddie murmured, which was the most sensible word Arthur had heard him speak since the lad wandered out during the storm.

"Yao will be right back," Arthur promised.

True to his word, Yao reappeared a few minutes later and tossed three fluffy white towels at Freddie and Arthur, one for each man and one for the wet cat. Arthur dried himself off before changing into different clothes. When he finished, he found Freddie staring at him, a strange expression on his face.

"What is it?" Arthur demanded.

"Thank you," Freddie mumbled. "I don't know how you knew, but I think if you hadn't been there..." a dark cloud crossed over his face and he shivered.

"Well, the cat woke me up," Arthur admitted. "That's how I knew."

Freddie turned to smile at the cat. "Thanks, Hero."

"I suppose he has some uses after all," Arthur grudgingly admitted. He crawled back into his makeshift bed and wrapped himself tightly in the warm coats.

"Are you two done?" Yao interrupted. "I'm ready to go back to sleep."

"But what if it happens again?" The teen asked, a slight tremble in his voice.

Arthur sighed and climbed off the floor. He pushed their suitcases in front of the door. "There," he said. "That'll stop you."

"Thanks," Freddie murmured, doubling the number of times he had ever shown Arthur gratitude. He even gave Arthur a small smile.

Arthur curled up on the floor again and tried to tell himself that the warmth in his cheeks came from the heat of his makeshift blankets.

He was a good liar, but even he didn't believe that one.


	6. Key to His Heart

After two nights of smooth sailing, they arrived in Diamonds on a perfect spring day. The ship sailed along the river that cut through the heart of Triomphe, bringing them closer and closer to their goal. For as much as he had dreamed about this moment, Arthur found himself filled with a strange sense of unease.

His companions didn't seem to share his concerns. Yao had been particularly fastidious in choosing his outfit that morning in anticipation of their meeting with Vanya. Lost in his own thoughts, he stared off dreamily into the distance.

A little to their left, Freddie gawked in unabashed delight as he took in the sights of Diamonds. He watched people sip coffee outside cozy cafes as others strolled along the banks of the river. The tree-lined streets were filled with people, carriages, and new-fangled automobiles. Gaping in amazement, Freddie leaned over to get a better look the autos.

"Be careful!" Arthur warned. He grabbed the back of the young man's suit jacket to stop him from splashing into the river.

Oblivious to the danger, Freddie took a step closer to Arthur and pointed to the lively streets. "Ooh, I want to eat outside! And then let's go for a ride in one of those," he eagerly proposed, gesturing to a dark blue automobile.

"Impress the dowager's cousin and you can dine wherever you want," Arthur replied patiently, trying to keep Freddie focused on their goal. "And I'm sure she has a chauffeur who could drive you around town."

Freddie pouted. "I don't want a chauffeur. Where's the fun in that?"

"The 'fun' is that someone sees to your every whim and makes sure that you want for nothing. You'll have a life of luxury without having to lift a finger," Arthur explained. A hint of bitterness crept into his tone as he thought about how much work it took to provide an upper-class lifestyle, not that the nobles had ever spared a thought to their servants' burdens. And yet, as much as he had disliked the system, he still dreamed of having enough wealth to enjoy the same level of luxury himself. He wasn't sure if he was a hypocrite or just a fool, but either way it left a sour feeling in his chest.

"That doesn't sound fun." Freddie wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Arthur snorted. "Well, you'd better get used to it. That's how you'll live once we reunite you with your grandmother."

To his surprise, a look of disappointment settled on Freddie's face. The teenager stared glumly at the happy people walking along the river promenade. "I didn't think about what it would be like after… well, you know," he said. He sounded nothing like his usual cheerful self.

"It doesn't have to be that way," Arthur said gently. After disappointing the boy, he felt the urge to return a smile to Freddie's face. Just so that the young man would look good for his meeting with the dowager's cousin, of course. "Royalty can do whatever they like. If you want to drive your own car, who's going to tell you no?"

"Yeah…" Freddie perked up. "You're right!"

"That's the spirit." Arthur grinned back. He noticed that the ship was slowing down as they reached the pier. "You'd better fetch your suitcase and Hero. We're almost there."

Still wearing a smile, Freddie raced across the deck and dashed down the stairs towards their cabin. Arthur felt a sense of sadness as he watched Freddie's back disappear into the dark stairwell. Their journey would be ending soon and Freddie wasn't the only one who wasn't really prepared for what would come next.

Yao seemed to finish daydreaming about Vanya, because he chose that moment to favor Arthur with a knowing look. "I thought you didn't like the cat."

"The cat has proven its worth," Arthur replied, refusing to admit that he had forgiven the cat for all of its rude behavior after Hero helped save Freddie's life. "And if its presence makes the boy happy… well, a cheerful young man will be more believable during the interview."

"Perhaps." Yao gazed into the distance and smiled to himself. "Or maybe you have a different reason for wanting to see him happy?"

"I assure you that my motives are purely financial," Arthur replied defensively. "And what about you? Doesn't it bother you that we're basically lying to Vanya?"

Yao surprised him by laughing. "Vanya is a smart woman and she is tired of sorting through candidates for the dowager. I think she will be happy to take the first kind-hearted young man who fits the role."

"She doesn't care if he's real so long as he makes the dowager happy?"

"Why not?" Yao shrugged. "Freddie doesn't have a family. The dowager doesn't have a family. They can both give each other something they need." A soft smile spread across his face. "Then Vanya will be free from her obligations and she will be happy that the dowager is happy."

"I see…" Arthur stared off into the distance, noticing that the golden-hued buildings grew more opulent as they reached the center of the city.

Even though he should have been pleased, Arthur felt numb as they disembarked the ship and arranged for a carriage to take them to the dowager's townhouse. All this time, he and Yao had been playing different cons. They both wanted to 'find' the lost prince, but Arthur had looked for someone who could convincingly play the role, while Yao wanted to find someone with a good heart. And Freddie… he just wanted to have a family. In the end, they would all get what they wanted, right? It would be a win-win-win for everyone.

So why didn't he feel happy?

Freddie pressed his nose to the windows and watched the city roll past in amazement while Yao leaned back against the seat with a dreamy smile. For his part, Arthur was in too much of a daze to pay attention to the route. It seemed like no time at all before they arrived.

Yao rang the doorbell to the elegant townhouse and watched the door eagerly. He looked disappointed as a pretty brunette in a French maid outfit opened the door for them.

"Bonjour, messieurs," she said. Arthur thought she sounded a bit flirtatious, but it was also possible that everything sounded flirtatious in a Diamonds accent.

Yao nodded. "Good afternoon. Could you tell Countess Vanya that Jack Yao is here to see her with an important guest?"

Before the maid had a chance to respond, the sound of pounding footsteps grew closer. "Yao, is that really you?" a heavy-set woman cried from the hallway. Her violet eyes sparkled as she pulled the maid out of the way and stepped forward. She leaned against the doorway, her pose accentuating her curves beneath her long-sleeved dress.

Yao took her free hand as delicately as he would lift a grain of rice and pressed a soft kiss to her fingers. "My sweetest dumpling, it has been too long," he whispered.

"Oh, Yao!" Vanya blushed prettily and clasped her beloved to her ample bosom. He was soon lost in the folds of her pink wool dress.

Both seemed to have forgotten that Arthur and Freddie existed. The two young men exchanged an amused glance. "Should we give them some privacy?" Freddie asked.

"They can be private after your interview," Arthur retorted, pitching his voice loudly enough so that Yao could hear him.

His message was apparently received because he heard Yao clear his throat a moment later. "My dear Vanya, allow me to present his royal highness, Prince Alfred," Yao announced, his voice was somewhat muffled from his position pressed against Vanya's body.

"Oh?" She let go of Yao, glanced dismissively past Arthur, and gave Freddie an appraising look from top to bottom. "Well, he certainly _looks_ the part."

Arthur nudged Freddie forward and hoped that the boy didn't forget his training. He seemed to remember the first part at least, because he gave Vanya a bow and then smiled at her warmly. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am. Yao's description didn't do you justice."

She laughed and clasped her hands together. "What a charming prince!"

"Yes, he's the perfect gentleman," Arthur snarked. He was annoyed at Freddie for laying it on so thick. At this rate, Yao was going to be jealous!

"Please, come in," Vanya said, taking Yao by the hand as she led them to the beautifully decorated parlor. "I have so many questions!"

To Arthur's great annoyance, he'd been left with the suitcases like a servant. As Freddie, Vanya, and Yao sat down on the plush parlor furniture, he struggled to carry their suitcases into the hallway. Arthur dropped them onto the floor with a huff of irritation. As soon as he was finished, Hero popped out of one of the bags and glanced around the entryway with curiosity.

"Oh sure, _now_ you want to walk," Arthur complained under his breath.

Oblivious to Arthur's irritated tone, the cat meowed when he heard Freddie's voice and bolted into the parlor before Arthur could stop him.

As Arthur slipped into the sitting room after the cat, he could hear Freddie excitedly answering Vanya's questions. "I love horseback riding. It almost feels like you're flying!" the teenager gushed. "I had a white horse named Snowflake, which, uh, wasn't the best name, but I was only three," he explained, looking a bit embarrassed about the horse's name. Honestly, Arthur didn't think that someone who named a cat _Hero_ could complain about the name Snowflake.

"Did you have any other pets?" Vanya asked.

Freddie nodded. "Oh, yes! The other kingdoms gave us wild animals as presents. My favorite was a baby panda from the Ambassador of Clubs. I named her Ling Ling."

Presumably upset that people weren't talking about _him_ , Hero meowed and climbed onto Freddie's lap. Vanya blinked at the feline in surprise.

"This is Hero," the teenager happily explained. "He follows me everywhere." He reached down and scratched the cat under the chin, ignoring the fact that Hero was getting white fur onto his lovely navy suit. "He's been with us ever since we left Spades."

"Interesting," Vanya remarked with a slight smile. "I thought _princesses_ were the ones who made friends with woodland animals."

Arthur tried not to snicker when he saw the offended look that crossed Freddie's face. He was starting to see why Yao liked Vanya. Beneath the soft exterior was a hint of spunk.

She continued to ask Freddie questions about his childhood, probing his knowledge of the royal family in increasingly greater detail. Freddie responded with a fair amount of confidence, though he had to admit that he didn't remember certain people.

Arthur wasn't worried about the slight lapses. As far as he was concerned, they made Freddie sound even more like the real prince, instead of someone who had been carefully coached into getting every answer correct. After all, Prince Alfred had disappeared when he was nine and couldn't be expected to remember every single detail ten years later.

Of course, Freddie _had_ been coached into getting most of the answers correct, but Arthur shied away from those guilt-inducing thoughts. What mattered was that Freddie would have a family, Yao would have his beloved, and Arthur would have half the reward money. That was what they all wanted, right?

"We always had the best birthday celebrations for me at the summer palace," Freddie explained, answering another question about his childhood. "I once ate so much chocolate cake that I was sick for a week."

Arthur frowned. That didn't sound like something he and Yao had taught him. Perhaps Freddie was mixing in his own memories? Yet it seemed unlikely that Freddie had received birthday cake at the orphanage.

He didn't have a chance to think about it further because Vanya paused in her questioning when the maid arrive with a tea tray. "How do you like your tea, monsieur?" the maid asked Freddie.

"I don't," Freddie replied, wrinkling his nose. "You should give it to Arthur."

Everyone turned to look at Arthur, who up until that point had been doing a good job blending in with the wallpaper. He accepted the tea gratefully, even if he didn't much care for the attention. He didn't want Vanya to start asking questions about _his_ presence, just in case she was familiar with his reputation as a forger back in Spades.

They soon returned their focus to Freddie—who performed beautifully for the rest of the interview. He ate the tea cakes daintily and remembered to say 'yes' instead of 'yeah.'

The questions continued for another hour and whenever Freddie glanced over at Arthur, the con artist gave him a reassuring smile. The teenager smiled back in a way that made the room seem a little lighter, even if it made the pit of guilt in Arthur's stomach grow heavier.

He tried to shake off the feeling. They would all be much happier once Freddie convinced Vanya and the empress that he was the lost prince of Spades. He already believed it himself and Arthur was positive that the dowager would love her new grandson. They would all live happily ever after, even if it meant that he never saw Freddie again.

Arthur was so lost in his own thoughts that it took him a moment to realize that Vanya had paused again in her questioning. She gave Freddie a thoughtful look. "I hope this question is not too insensitive, but… how did you survive the night of the attack?"

Freddie stared at her with wide eyes and froze. His fingers gripped Hero's fur tightly. "I… I…" he gulped and stared up at the ceiling.

Arthur felt a surge of regret for not giving Freddie more details about the cold December night when the monarchy had died and Soviet Spades had arisen in its place.

"There was a boy… a servant boy," Freddie began to explain, his eyebrows still scrunched in thought. "He opened a wall and we escaped." He shook his head in confusion. "No, that sounds silly doesn't it? Opening a wall…"

Arthur froze in shock as Vanya rubbed her chin. "I think you're describing the servant's passageways, actually," she said thoughtfully. "I'm sorry for bringing up such a painful memory. I don't have any more questions."

Freddie had known about the escape. He had _remembered_ it. There was only one possible explanation: Freddie really was the prince.

Arthur almost wanted to laugh at the irony. He'd spent weeks training Freddie to act like the prince, with no clue that he had found the real Prince Alfred. And now… Freddie was going to return to his childhood life of luxury and Arthur could take the reward money without a smidgeon of remorse. The only thing holding him back was the horrible knowledge that he would never see Freddie again.

All around him, the others continued to finish off their tea and coffee, oblivious to Arthur's painful knowledge he had found the missing prince only to lose him again.

"So I can meet the dowager empress?" Freddie asked excitedly, his cheerfulness returning in full force as he leaned forward and waited for Vanya's response.

"No." She shook her head sadly. "She will see no more boys claiming to be Prince Alfred."

"But…?" Yao prompted, hearing a hesitance in her tone.

A coy smile appeared on Vanya's face. "Do you like the ballet? The dowager and I love the Spades Ballet! We _never_ miss a performance. In fact, we are going to see them tonight," she said, adding a wink in case her point wasn't blindingly obvious.

"Isn't ballet kind of boring?" Freddie asked cluelessly.

"We _love_ the ballet," Yao interrupted, giving Freddie a stern look. "If you recommend the performance tonight, we will _definitely_ be there."

"Oh, wonderful!" Vanya gushed. She gave Freddie's suit an appraising look as her eyes gleamed. "Of course, you will need nicer outfits."

Arthur felt his heart sink. It sounded like they were going _shopping_.


	7. Home, Love, Family

It was hard to start thinking of Freddie as Prince Alfred. Although the handsome prince had been born into a world of glittering jewels, his gorgeous smile still turned to a pout when he was forced into formalwear. Was he really going to be happy living as an exiled prince? Somehow Arthur doubted it.

Holding very still, Arthur watched as Yao pinned the hem of his black trousers in place. Despite his assumption that a dreaded shopping trip was in his near future, Vanya had surprised him by pointing out that he and Freddie were nearly the same size as her chauffer and butler. Their clothing shop had turned out to be nothing more than a servant's closet. With a few timely alterations from Yao, they would be ready for the ballet in no time. Whether Arthur would be ready for what happened afterward was a different question altogether.

"Men's clothing is so boring," Vanya sighed as she inspected the dinner coat that Yao had already altered to fit Arthur's smaller frame. "Black, black, and more black."

"It's so people can focus on what our lovely ladies are wearing," Yao replied, giving her a smitten grin as he paused with the needle a little too close to Arthur's skin for comfort.

"Or perhaps they know how good _you_ look in black," she replied.

"Not as lovely as you do, my sweet."

Vanya blushed while Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes at their sappy flirtations. He was grateful for the borrowed clothes, but it was also annoying being around the two lovebirds. Did they have to rub their happiness in his face at every opportunity?

"Done," Yao announced as he tied off the final piece of thread and tucked it into Arthur's hem. "Now where is our little prince?"

Arthur glanced over to the chair where Freddie had been sitting just a few minutes ago. It was empty. Knowing Freddie, he had grown bored and wandered off after his stupid cat.

"I'll find him," Arthur offered, making a beeline for the door before Yao or Vanya could reply. He would give them a few moments of privacy and, at the same time, finally give himself a chance to talk with Freddie alone. There was so much he needed to tell him—if only he could find the courage to speak the truth.

As Arthur wandered the empty townhouse hallways, the sound of boisterous laughter drew him toward the door at the end of the corridor, where he found Freddie in the billiard room playing with Hero and another large, extremely fluffy cat. The second cat was dark gray, with a white ruff. The cats swatted balls on top of the billiard table while Freddie laughed in delight.

"Not another one," Arthur sighed at the sight of the second cat. Still, he felt his lips curve upward in a slight smile. Trust Freddie to make friends with all the animals in the house.

The prince turned to look at him and smiled back. "Don't worry. I'm not taking her with me. She seems happy here."

"Well, of course she's happy. She lives in the lap of luxury."

"Yeah." Freddie reached over and scratched the gray cat behind the ears. "But I bet she dreams some days of running outside and acting like a normal cat," he added, gazing out the window with his eyebrows drawn together in an uncharacteristically somber expression.

Sensing that Freddie was worried about more than just the cossetted feline, Arthur stepped closer and put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "It's not so bad. At least she always knows she'll have a full belly and a warm place to sleep," he said comfortingly.

Arthur stood in silence with his hand on Freddie's shoulder and wondered whether he should confess his plot to steal the reward money. A silly, lovestruck part of him wanted Freddie to know the full, complete truth. Perhaps he would understand why Arthur had done it. Then again, despite his original motives, he _had_ actually found the right prince, so there was no reason to tell Freddie something that would just make him distrust Arthur.

While Arthur puzzled over his truth-telling options, Freddie looked around the room, taking in the dark oak paneling and the expensive oil paintings of landscapes that decorated the walls. "This is a nice place, but I don't think this life is what I want."

Heart beating fast with a mixture of hope and trepidation, Arthur stepped in front of Freddie and met his gaze directly. "Well, what _do_ you want?"

"A home. A family," Freddie replied, his voice hoarse with emotion. His gaze dropped to the floor as a strange expression crossed his face. "I don't know. Not this."

Arthur had hoped to hear 'love' somewhere on the list, but his own disappointment didn't stop him from squeezing Freddie's shoulder reassuringly. "You can have both without giving up your freedom. It's not like you'll be trapped in this house once they acknowledge you."

"But they'll expect me to go to balls and marry some heiress who just wants a title!"

"So don't do it!" Arthur retorted. "They can't _make_ you do anything. You've said it yourself, you're a prince, not a servant."

Guileless blue eyes filled his field of vision and Arthur suddenly realized how very close they were standing. He could lean forward just the slightest bit and… he ruthlessly pushed the thought out of his head. It was never going to happen.

"Do you really believe that?" Freddie asked.

"I do," Arthur said quietly. He blinked in surprise as Freddie suddenly hugged him. He tensed for a second, then slowly relaxed in the warm embrace. After a lifetime of doing whatever he needed to do to get by, it felt nice to be rewarded for actually doing something good.

He smiled and wished he could hold onto Freddie just a little longer. But if he was finally going to reunite the boy with his family, he needed to let Yao finish the suit alterations.

"Come on. Yao's ready for you," he explained as he led Freddie back down the hallway.

Freddie sighed and wrinkled his nose. "Not again. I hate suits."

Arthur smiled to himself and wondered what the dowager empress would make of her wayward grandson. Fortunately for Freddie, he was handsome and charming enough that Arthur was sure the old woman would be thrilled to see him despite his poor manners and love of casual clothing.

"Ah, there you two are," Vanya called as the two men returned to the yellow sitting room. She and Yao appeared to be in the same positions where he had left them, but Arthur was pretty sure that Yao's long hair had gotten a little messier while he was gone.

True to his word, Yao made the alterations to Freddie's borrowed suit quickly while Arthur tried not to stare as the young man dressed and undressed. But it was hard to ignore how debonair Freddie looked in a stylish evening coat.

As soon as Yao was finished sewing, Vanya led them out of the house for a few hours on the town. To Arthur's pleasure, they left the cats behind.

The capitol of Diamonds was a bustling city filled with crowds wearing fashionable outfits. In their borrowed clothes, they blended in quite nicely as they strolled past the endless cafes and boutiques. Arthur would have preferred a walk in the quiet countryside, but it was hard not to feel some excitement just from the second-hand pleasure of watching Freddie gape at everything in open-faced amazement. He and the others waited indulgently as Freddie pressed his face against the glass at a store filled with candy in every color in the rainbow.

The entire city seemed bursting with life and even Arthur had to admit that seeing a woman walk down the street with her pet cheetah was quite spectacular. He just hoped that it didn't give Freddie any ideas. One house cat was more than enough for his tastes.

After strolling along the river bank, they bought dinner from a street vendor who fashioned thin pancakes into neatly folded triangles filled with fruit and chocolate. Arthur closed his eyes and savored the decadent, delicious taste.

When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Freddie stepping closer. The young prince smiled and wiped a bit of chocolate from Arthur's cheek with a paper napkin. "And you complain about _my_ manners," he teased.

Fortunately for Arthur, he was saved from having to respond as Vanya cried out in delight. "Oh, look! Scarves!" She disappeared into a store with racks of flowy, flowery fabric.

"This might take a while," Yao admitted.

"Do we have enough time to climb that tower over there?" Freddie asked, pointing toward a building on the other side of the river that looked like tall iron scaffolding. It served as a landmark for the entire city, even though it didn't match the other architecture.

Yao shrugged. "You might as well."

"If we're not back in time, we'll catch up with you at the opera house," Arthur replied.

Yao nodded. "Sneak up to our box during intermission."

With their plans in place for meeting the dowager empress later that evening, Arthur didn't resist as Freddie grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the iron tower. They crossed another bridge and walked along the park on the other side of the river. Once they could finally see the tower without any buildings blocking their view, Arthur gaped in amazement. The strange lattice structure was the tallest thing he had ever seen. It looked like it was poking the clouds in the sky.

They bypassed the throngs of people waiting for the lift and found that there was no line for the stairs. Arthur soon realized why as they began to climb one of the tower's four metal feet. Even in the mild spring air, his suit felt too warm and heavy and his calves soon burned in protest.

The stairs zig and zagged back and forth like they were climbing a steep mountain. At least it was quiet, aside from the occasional sound of an elevator going up or down.

Freddie eagerly bounded up the stairs as Arthur followed behind. As they climbed higher, they began to get an amazing view of the river and buildings below. It was breathtaking, until Arthur made the mistake of looking down. He could see the queue for the elevator below him through the metal stairs. His head spun and the world tilted as he desperately clutched the stair railing.

He thought he heard Freddie's voice and a few moments later he felt Freddie grab his arm. The dizziness passed as he focused on Freddie's worried face instead of the ground below. "You okay? Want to go back down?" Freddie asked.

Arthur shook his head. "I'm fine," he insisted, breathing heavily. He wasn't going to let a moment of vertigo stop him from enjoying the tower. He just needed to be a bit more careful about not looking down as he climbed the steps.

They resumed their ascent and this time Freddie stayed nearby, linking elbows with Arthur. Arthur was grateful for the young man's support and energetic chatter, since it provided a nice distraction from the view below.

"Why does that building look like a giant red windmill?" Freddie asked.

"It's a cabaret with can can dancers," Arthur explained. "I suppose they want it to look distinctive."

Freddie stared at him blankly. "Can can?"

"You know, pretty girls kicking up their legs in flouncy skirts."

"Huh. That sounds as boring as the ballet."

"Most men enjoy that sort of thing," Arthur remarked, trying to keep his voice calm even as his stomach did a little flip. This time, he didn't think it was because of the heights.

Before he knew it, they had reached the observation deck, where they could see the entire city laid out below. The buildings took on a beautiful, golden hue as the sun began to set. "Wow. I think I can see Hearts from here!" Freddie cried excitedly as he leaned over the railing.

Trying not to look at the ground, Arthur grabbed the back of Freddie's suit jacket and pulled him away from the railing. "Will you _stop_ doing that?"

Freddie grinned in reply. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. You know, after this is over, we should travel the world. I want to see Clubs!"

"You… want to keep traveling together?" Arthur was stunned, but pleasantly so. Given their constant bickering, he'd been under the impression that Freddie hated spending time with him, other than when they were trying to save each other's life.

"Of course! The train had a few problems and that one night on the boat was bad, but other than that it's been great."

"Yes, other than those times when we nearly died, it's been a real pleasure," Arthur agreed dryly. Dropping the sarcasm for once, he gave Freddie a soft smile. "You know, we've been through a lot together and I just want to say that... uh..." he trailed off, losing his train of thought as he noticed the way Freddie's hair turned reddish gold around sunset.

"Say what?" Freddie prompted, leaning closer.

"I love… I'd love to go see Clubs, so long as you promise to stay away from the railing."

Freddie grinned sheepishly. "Okay. It's a promise."

"Good. Now let's reunite you with your grandmother."

They walked down the stairs together arm-in-arm. Arthur's stomach was a touch unsettled, but he decided it was anxiety about what would happen when they met the dowager, nothing else. And if he felt more light-headed than usual, he blamed it on his newfound fear of heights. Everything was going to be okay, Arthur reassured himself. Freddie would find his family, he would gain a pile of money, and they would both have a chance to see if their budding friendship could grow into something more.


	8. A Rumor in Diamonds

They waited until a group of men stepped outside the Opera House doors for a smoking break, signaling the end of the ballet's first act. Arthur could have stolen tickets for the show, but he didn't want to risk being caught when they were so close to their goal. After all, why bother buying tickets when they could just walk into the theater during intermission? The empress's box wouldn't be that hard to find—surely she would insist on the nicest seats in the house.

Like everything else in Diamonds, the Opera House was beautiful and opulent. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the lovely dresses below like they were jewels in a black velvet case. Arthur and Freddie's black suits blended in perfectly amidst the well-heeled opera set.

Arthur held his head high and ascended the grand marble staircase like he had every right to be there. The most important part of any con was acting like you belonged. That was why it was called a _confidence_ game. When they reached the landing, he glanced over at Freddie and grimaced to see the worried look on the young man's face. The poor young man looked as nervy as a virgin at his first burlesque show.

"You'll do fine," Arthur reassured him, briefly resting his hand on Freddie's shoulder after they finished climbing the final flight of stairs to the balcony level.

Freddie bit his lip. "What if she doesn't recognize me?"

"She will. All you have to do is be yourself."

"But what if she refuses to see us?"

"She won't ignore _this_." Arthur pulled the ornate music box out of the deepest pocket of his jacket. Nestled in the palm of his hand, the jewel-encrusted ornament glittered in the candlelight. He had kept it safe for so many years, but now he was ready to sacrifice it for a greater purpose.

Despite Freddie's hesitant pace, they soon reached an ornate pair of doors that led to the largest box overlooking the stage. While Freddie continued to fret, Arthur knocked on the door. The servant's haughty look disappeared as soon as Arthur presented him with the ornate musical box.

"I'd like to return this to the dowager empress," he explained.

The servant raised a single eyebrow, but silently accepted the item. He disappeared behind the door, returning a few moments later to usher them both into the theater box.

Thick, red carpet cushioned Arthur and Freddie's footfalls as they approached two opulent seats halfway hidden behind dark velvet curtains. In one of the chairs sat Vanya, doing her best to act like she'd never met them before in her life. In the other, a regal old woman turned to give them a measuring look.

"Where did you find this?" the older woman asked quietly, holding up the musical box.

For once, the truth was on Arthur's side. He met her gaze directly. "I found it on the floor after I helped you escape the palace."

After a lifetime of politics, the dowager empress had gained too much control over her expression to gape in shock, but her eyes still flashed with surprise, followed quickly by a calm, appraising look. "If you've come for a reward, I will gladly compensate you for returning this precious memento." She gestured toward the servant.

Arthur shook his head and cut her off. "No, that's not what I came here to return. You weren't the only one who escaped the palace that night," he began, feeling that the moment called for a hint of drama. He turned and nodded toward Freddie. "Here's what you've been looking for… the memento's owner, safe and sound."

"Prince Alfred?" the dowager empress asked, arching an eyebrow as she turned her head slightly to look at the other young man.

"You recognize me!" Freddie cried happily, a grin brightening his face.

"Oh, I should have known it would be just another claimant," she said with a long-suffering sigh. She glanced down at the musical box sitting in her hand with a look of deep pain and weariness. "If you are who you claim to be, then tell me: what lullaby did I sing you as a child?"

Freddie's grin disappeared, replaced slowly with a thoughtful frown. He closed his eyes, like he was trying to remember, but nothing came to him. "I don't… I don't remember."

"Come now, I sang it thousands of times. Surely you can remember at least a little bit." She waited another moment before giving him an irritated, impervious look. "No? As I thought, merely another young man after the reward."

"What reward?" Freddie asked.

"Jacques, see them off," the dowager said, dismissing them with a royal wave of her hand. The servant appeared from the shadows and reached for Arthur's arm.

"Wait a moment!" Arthur protested, shocked at how quickly she had dismissed Freddie. "You haven't even talked to him. Ask him something else!"

"Come with me, sir," Jacques stated as he tried to pull Arthur out of the theater box. Despite Jacques' larger size, he wasn't making much headway. Arthur struggled to stay where he was, fueled by anger and adrenaline.

"Arthur, what did she mean about a reward?" Freddie asked, a confused look on his face as he just stood and watched the servant try to manhandle Arthur instead of moving in to help.

Without turning around, the dowager held up one hand and the servant paused. "…Arthur? Oh, dear. Not the same Arthur that rumor says hosted auditions in Spades to find a young man with blue eyes and blond hair?" She glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Arthur's surprised expression. "Why, yes, I believe it is."

"Freddie isn't from the auditions!" Arthur protested, realizing his mistake a moment too late.

"What auditions?" Freddie demanded. He didn't look confused any more. He looked angry.

Arthur glanced around for a flicker of belief. Vanya still had a bland smile on her face, though an icy chill radiated out from her carefully controlled expression. He couldn't tell if she was upset with him or upset with the dowager for rejecting Freddie so quickly after all of Vanya's questions. Arthur hoped it wasn't him. He shook his head and focused on the more important matter at hand. Somehow, he needed to find the right words to convince the dowager that Freddie was genuine. It had been a mistake to enter the theater box with the young man, and he needed to fix it. "If you'll just listen to me!" he called. "He knew it was a music box! He knew about the servant's passage the night of—"

Strong arms pulled him from the back and he was torn out of the theater box by Jacques and Freddie working together. As the crowds of ballet-goers stared, he found himself deposited on the street with an indignant Freddie at his side.

Arthur winced. The brief interview with the dowager had gone very poorly, and judging from the look on Freddie's face, his day was about to get much worse.

"You lied to me!" Freddie shouted as the crowd watched them in scandalized fascination.

"Technically, nearly everything I told you was true."

"Yeah, I guess it was true when you said you'd seen thousands of men in Spades and none looked as much like the prince as I did. I just didn't realize you'd been auditioning them." Freddie laughed harshly and began to walk away. "Give up, Arthur. I'm not playing your game anymore."

"Freddie! Wait!" Arthur called, chasing after the young man. He left the crowd of spectators behind as he rounded a corner and found Freddie waiting for him. He nearly ran into Freddie and caught himself just before he slammed into the young man's chest. Arthur opened and closed his mouth, fumbling for words like a drunken man stumbling in the dark. He had never realized that telling the truth could be so hard. "Please," he begged, his voice breaking. "I'm not interested in the reward. I'm just trying to help you find your family."

"My family died years ago," Freddie replied harshly. "You're a miserable excuse for a human being who preys on people's hopes to get us to do what you want. You lie and lie and let us think that you actually care…" he trailed off and shook his head, trying to mask the hurt that had flashed in his eyes.

"I do care," Arthur whispered, for all the good it did in the face of Freddie's icy stare.

"Yeah, about money. Well, there are plenty of rich people in this city. I'm sure you'll get what's coming to you soon enough."

Frozen in hopeless anguish, Arthur stood silently and watched Freddie walk away. There had been enough truth in the other man's statements that each one had landed like a knife in Arthur's chest. As much as he wanted to chase after him and try again, he knew that Freddie was never going to believe him. Not without some help.

Arthur scrunched his forehead in concentration. He knew that Freddie would go back to Vanya's townhouse to claim his cat. Where would he go next? Would he continue on to Clubs, like he had planned? If he did, the only logical route was by train. If yes, there was still a chance. Arthur knew that Jacques would chauffeur the dowager empress home once the ballet finished. He just hoped that he was right about what Freddie would do next.

With a look of determination, Arthur returned to the Diamonds Opera House. The crowds had returned inside, telling him that intermission was over. But someone else was waiting for him.

Yao glanced his way and raised an eyebrow. "Vanya tells me that I missed a great deal of excitement during intermission," he said once Arthur was within speaking distance.

"You should have been there to help," Arthur retorted, annoyed at his partner in crime.

"It wouldn't have helped if Freddie let slip that he knew me."

Arthur couldn't disagree with that, but he could—and did—insist that Yao help him find a way to bring Freddie and the dowager empress together. Feigning a sudden emergency, Yao convinced the ticket seller to call the train station for information on the next train to Clubs. She even gave him directions to the station.

"You seem quite certain that Freddie really is the prince," Yao commented after he had passed along the information.

Arthur nodded. "I am. I was the servant that helped him escape."

Yao gave him a knowing look. "I see. Well, good luck, Arthur. If words don't work, you should try kissing him."

Arthur sputtered in protest, but Yao was gone before he could finish. All that was left to do was to wait outside and hope that his scheme would succeed. Sitting at the cold, empty table, Arthur planned out every step of what he would do. Even with Yao's help, he needed to time every action perfectly. Yet even as he plotted and planned, a portion of his brain wondered if Yao was right about the best way to convince Freddie to stay.

After an unbearably long wait, Arthur's head shot up as a stream of people began to leave the Opera House, chatting loudly about the ballet and their dinner plans. Arthur slipped into the crowd and watched carefully for Yao, Vanya, and the dowager empress.

They emerged near the end of the crowd, their appearance timed perfectly as a beautiful automobile pulled in front of the opera house. After a brief conversation, Yao and Vanya nodded their goodbyes and left arm-in-arm. Jacques stepped out and held the door for the dowager.

Unnoticed by all, Arthur slipped into the driver's seat and put the car into gear as soon as he heard the door close behind the dowager empress. He stepped on the gas a little too hard, drawing a rebuke from the dowager. Fortunately for him, she didn't notice the people shouting behind them amidst the noises of traffic.

Focusing on his driving, Arthur prayed he would find Freddie before it was too late. The train was scheduled to leave soon—and with it, his last hope of helping Freddie find his family. Arthur pressed harder on the accelerator and shifted up a gear. The dowager's automobile was larger than the clunkers he had driven in Spades and she soon noticed that the ride was not as smooth as it should have been and that they were traveling on the wrong streets.

"You! Are you adding kidnapping to your list of crimes?" she asked haughtily.

"Look, just spend ten minutes talking to him and, if you're still not convinced, I'll take you home, I promise."

"I don't believe you."

Arthur sighed. "Nobody does, it seems." Despite the vote of no confidence, hope welled in his chest as he pulled into the train station parking lot and saw that the train was still in the station with a large crowd milling about. He put the car into park and turned around to meet the dowager's gaze directly. "But you can't deny that I saved your life. I think that's worth ten minutes of your time."

He didn't wait for her to respond. Hoping that his desperate plea would be enough to keep her in the car for at least a few more minutes, he turned off the engine and raced onto the platform. He pressed through the crowd, desperately looking for a familiar tuft of blond hair.

To his left, the sound of a yowling cat caught his attention. Could it be…?

"Last call for Clubs! Boarding now!" the station manager shouted.

Arthur pushed his way forward and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Freddie through a break in the crowd. The poor lad was trying to fit Hero into his suitcase, but the cat (understandably) refused to cooperate.

"I don't think he wants to get on a train after what happened last time," Arthur said as he stepped close to the young man.

Freddie glanced up, a look of shock on his face.

Arthur took a deep breath. He could see the people boarding all around him and he knew this was his last shot. He gazed deep in Freddie's eyes with all the sincerity in his heart. "Don't go, Freddie. Please don't go." He leaned closer and thought he saw Freddie respond. The moment was ruined a moment later as the train whistle blew, startling both of them.

The young man shook his head. "No, I won't be fooled again." He scooped the cat into one arm and grabbed his suitcase with the other.

"If you get on that train, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life."

Struggling cat in hand, Freddie climbed onto the train just as it started to inch forward out of the station. He turned to give Arthur a look already filled with regret. "Goodbye, Arthur."


	9. Once Upon a December

After a moment of shock, Arthur ran forward to catch up with the train. He reached for the metal handle next to the stairs. He wasn't going to give up, even if he had to jump aboard and try once more to convince Freddie that he was telling the truth. If nothing else, at least he would be outside the city before anyone discovered that he had kidnapped the dowager empress.

Why, oh why, had he ever thought this would be _easy_?

Arthur took a deep breath and focused on the moving train instead of his turbulent thoughts. If he didn't time his movements exactly right, dealing with kidnapping charges would be the least of his problems. As he sped up to match the train's increasing speed, he heard a yowl and saw a white blur fly off the carriage right in front of him.

Wait, was that—?

Arthur slowed down slightly, which was the only thing that saved him from plowing into Freddie as the young man jumped off the moving train and chased after his frightened cat.

"Hero! Hero, get back here!" Freddie shouted.

Coming to a sudden stop, Arthur whirled around. He watched Freddie chase the cat into the luggage storage area on the side of the train station. Arthur slowly began to grin in relief. Moving at a slower pace, he followed the young man and watched as Freddie unsuccessfully tried to pull his pet out from inside one of the taller luggage lockers. Freddie stretched and cursed, but Hero would not move. True to its stubborn nature, the cat refused to budge while the sound of the train's rumbling engines grew fainter and fainter, and eventually disappeared altogether.

"Bad cat!" Freddie scolded. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned as his gaze fell on the empty tracks. A moment later, he seemed to notice Arthur's presence. His frown deepened and he glared at Arthur. "Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Arthur crossed his arms and glared back. The cat wasn't the only one who could be stubborn. "You really ought to be nicer to someone who saved your life," he retorted.

"No, I don't. I saved your life on the train, so we're even."

"I was talking about the cat."

Freddie shrugged off the comment. "You don't even like Hero," he replied as he tried to grab the irritated feline from its position wedged into the very back of the locker.

"I like when he saves you from sleepwalking and stupid decisions," Arthur said, his voice surprisingly soft despite the harshness of his words. "And for what it's worth, I've saved your life twice. Or have you forgotten again about the first time in the palace?" he asked, feeling a stab of hurt.

The painful sincerity in his tone must have caught Freddie's attention, because the young man pulled his hands out of the locker and turned around completely. "That wasn't real," he insisted. "That was something from a dream."

"A dream about something that really happened," Arthur replied. "After all, if it was only a dream, then how did the empress remember it?" he pointed out logically. Given the way Freddie's eyes widened in surprise, the young man hadn't actually spent much time thinking about their very brief conversation with the dowager empress. He had been too focused on the revelations about Arthur to consider the revelations about himself.

Freddie gave Arthur yet another disbelieving look. "No, it couldn't be real. There were flying green demons and an old man and a curse…." He opened and closed his mouth. Whatever he had been planning to say disappeared as Arthur yelped in surprise at the sensation of soft fur brushing against his calves. They both looked down to find Hero winding his way between Arthur's legs.

"Looks like someone hates being ignored," Arthur remarked once his heartbeat returned to a normal rate. Realizing that he now had the perfect method to bring Freddie to the empress, he picked up the heavy cat. "Well, there's no point in you staying here now that the train to Clubs has left," he explained as he started carrying the cat with him back to the dowager's vehicle.

"Wait! Hold up!" Freddie shouted, following after him.

To his relief, the dowager empress was still sitting in the back of the automobile. Arthur opened the driver-side door, set the cat onto the passenger's seat, and climbed in. In fact, from what he could tell of her facial expression from the rear view window, she seemed amused.

"You two are nearly as dramatic as the opera," she remarked. "Perhaps you should add songs and sell tickets."

Freddie gaped as he peered into the windows. "You _kidnapped_ the dowager?!"

Arthur shrugged. "I prefer to think of it as 'borrowing.'"

"No, I believe kidnapping is the proper word," the dowager corrected.

"Your highness, I am _so_ sorry," Freddie apologized profusely as he sat next to her in the back of the elegant automobile. "Arthur can be kind of an asshole, but for what it's worth, I don't think he'd do this if he wasn't convinced."

"Are you convinced?" she asked piercingly.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I mean, it all made so much sense! The timing, my name, even my dreams. Everything they taught me felt like something I had learned before. But then," he glanced up at Arthur and sighed. "Maybe I just wanted it to be true to make Arthur happy."

The empress met Freddie's gaze with steely blue eyes. "You're a very good actor," she said. "Probably the best one yet. But I am tired of being conned. Take me home."

Freddie shook his head. "I don't want to trick you! I just want to know who I am."

"Tell her something from your dreams," Arthur interrupted. To stop the dowager from complaining, he started the engine and the vehicle rumbled to life. Carefully navigating out of the train station, he hoped that she wouldn't notice that he was taking the scenic route back to her townhouse. Strangely, he wasn't even worried about the possibility that he might face jail time for the kidnapping. He just needed to know that Freddie had convinced her before the police dragged him away.

"It's fuzzy," Freddie said. He closed his eyes and frowned in concentration. "Just images, really. Dancing bears, painted wings, and a song…" he trailed off.

"A song?" the empress asked.

"The music box," Freddie said, eyes blinking open as the old woman gently placed the jewel-encrusted object into the palm of his hand. Without even thinking about it, he twisted the top three times clockwise, twice counterclockwise, and then clockwise again halfway around the circle. Arthur heard a small click and watched in the rear view window as Freddie opened a latch that he had never discovered during all of his years examining the mysterious object.

The top flipped open and two figurines emerged from the center of the box. A haunting melody filled the air as the figurines spun in a slow circle.

Freddie hummed along as he watched the figurines spin with half-lidded eyes. "Soon you'll be…" he murmured. "Home with me…"

A tense atmosphere filled the automobile as the music box played its final stanza. Freddie sat silently, his eyebrows knitted in thought. "I don't remember how it ends," he admitted.

Arthur felt a surge of triumph at the shocked look on the dowager's face. Satisfied that his mission was accomplished, he turned his attention to the road as they crossed a deserted stone bridge. Arthur frowned slightly, finding it harder to navigate in the thick fog over the river. He listened with half an ear as Freddie and the dowager continued their conversation, discussing train stations and lost memories. She didn't sound completely convinced, but Arthur smiled to himself, knowing that the charming young man would bring her around soon enough. Everyone fell in love with Freddie eventually…

The sounds of cracking stone and a loud splash drew Arthur's attention to the center of the bridge. He slowed down and squinted at the thick fog. A hint of a darker shadow caught his attention—it almost looked like there was a person standing in the middle of the road. A bright green light blinded Arthur and he slammed his foot on the brakes.

The automobile skidded to a stop and Arthur opened his eyes to discover that the middle section of the bridge had fallen into the river. The front wheels of the automobile hung over the water and the entire vehicle tilted forward at a slight angle.

"Arthur! Are you okay?" Freddie shouted from the back of the vehicle.

"Well, there's a hole where the bridge should be," Arthur replied, heart pounding as he tried to keep as still as possible. "But other than that, I'm fine."

"You are _never_ driving again," the empress declared, her voice remarkably stable despite the predicament.

"Fine," Arthur replied. He was more than happy to spend the rest of his life avoiding trains, boats, _and_ bridges. He remembered the broken bridge during their ill-fated train trip and a chill ran down his spine. It was like they were cursed.

As if Arthur's thoughts had summoned them, sparks of green light hit the automobile, rocking it from side to side. With a burst of panicked adrenaline, Arthur reached for Freddie's hand and scrambled into the back seat. As the car creaked and tilted toward the river, Freddie pushed Arthur and the dowager out of the car. They scrambled onto a sturdier section of the stone bridge, but when Arthur turned around, he realized that Freddie hadn't joined them.

"Freddie!" he cried, watching with his heart in his mouth as the vehicle tipped further forward. The foolish young man was rescuing his stupid cat. "Get out of there!"

Before Arthur could take another step, another wave of green sparks sent the automobile over the edge. He and the dowager stood in agonized horror as they both heard the splash of the vehicle falling in the cold water below. Arthur didn't think anyone could survive a fall from that height. Even worse, if Freddie had somehow survived, Arthur knew there was nothing he could do to help because he had never learned to swim. In the shocked silence, a voice began to laugh.

Numb with shock and grief, Arthur slowly turned around and watched as a figure materialized out of the fog.

"Your royal highness," a man who looked like a walking corpse bowed mockingly. A black cape fluttered in the wind behind him and a glittering crown sat upon his shriveled head. "It's been so long…"

"Rasputin!" The dowager gasped. "You _died_. I saw you fall beneath the ice."

"Mere ice cannot kill me." Rasputin chuckled as he stepped closer. "The same cannot be said for Prince Alfred. Such a pity he died so quickly. I do love to watch your family suffer."

Arthur's grief turned to anger. "You stay away from her," he growled as he stepped between the advancing creature and the dowager. He didn't have Freddie's overdeveloped sense of morality, but he wasn't going to let some undead abomination hurt a harmless old woman. And if he couldn't save Freddie, at least he could avenge him.

The human corpse grinned at Arthur. "What makes you think I want to kill _her_?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw a hint of movement near the broken section of the bridge. Hoping that help had arrived, he took a step backward and played for more time. He had always been better relying on his wits than his fists. "What did I do?" he demanded.

" _You_ ruined my plans on the ship!" the decrepit old man exploded angrily, lifting his scepter and pointing the glowing green gem at Arthur's face. " _You_ turned the prince into a threat! I was secure in my power as King of Spades until the boy began to dream of overthrowing me."

Arthur allowed his confusion to show on his face. "There is no King of Spades."

" _I_ am the King of Spades!" Rasputin howled, firing a beam of green light from his scepter that knocked the breath out of Arthur's lungs as it slammed him against the bridge's stone railing.

"No!" a voice screamed.

Distracted by the familiar voice, Arthur barely dodged as another beam of green light destroyed the railing behind him. He gasped for breath and looked up to see Rasputin on the ground, struggling with a young man and a very angry cat.

Freddie was alive! Joy and relief surged through Arthur's body. He picked up a stone from the debris and hurled it at the creature, knocking his arm away from his scepter before he could use it to hurt Freddie. Arthur raced forward. If he could steal away the scepter, he could destroy the source of Rasputin's power.

Arthur didn't reach them in time. The creature was stronger than he looked, and managed to send Freddie flying head over heels with a green blast. Moving with a speed born of desperation, Arthur grabbed the scepter from Rasputin's outstretched hand. He pulled it away, only to have it go flying from his grasp as green demons sent him flying. He slammed against the ground and heard his leg break with a sickening crack.

Nearly passing out from the pain, Arthur struggled to stay conscious. Freddie needed his help! His vision swam in and out of focus as he tried to crawl forward, despite his broken leg. The scepter was just a few meters in front of him. Darkness edged his vision as elegant skirts blocked his view.

"Not my grandson, you _monster_ ," the dowager declared as she lifted her skirts and crushed the green gem beneath her heels.

Rasputin shrieked as a vicious wind of green light melted the remaining flesh from his bones. The screams disappeared into the fog and what was left of his body collapsed into a pile of dust. With a sense of relief, Arthur let himself sink into darkness. As his eyes fluttered shut, the last thing he saw was Freddie running toward him.

* * *

Arthur woke to the sound of babbling voices in the distance and the feeling of strong arms carrying him somewhere. His broken leg throbbed dully and there was a warm weight pressed against his chest. Surprised by the strange weight pushing down on his chest, Arthur opened his eyes to discover two sets of blue eyes staring back at him. Before he could say anything, a raspy tongue licked his chin.

"Sorry about Hero," Freddie explained. "He was worried about you, and this was the only way I could carry you both."

Too thankful for everyone's survival to complain about something as minor as a bit of cat saliva on his chin and cat fur on his tattered suit, Arthur just shook his head. He smiled with relief and wrapped his arms around Freddie's neck. "How did you two survive?"

"I caught the ledge," Freddie replied, his eyes soft and warm as he looked down at Arthur.

Arthur bit his lip. There were so many things he wanted to say, so much for them to discuss, including a number of apologies on both sides. But for the moment, it was enough to know that Freddie was safe and alive, even if he was still an idiot who would risk his life for his cat. In his euphoria, even the pain of his broken leg barely registered.

"I think you should move Hero," Arthur said slyly. As comforting as the cat's purrs felt against his chest, he suspected the feline would be an obstacle for his next plan.

"Why?" Freddie asked, looking a little confused.

"Because I want to kiss you, and I think he's going to get in the way."

Freddie's eyes shot wide open and he lost no time nudging the cat off Arthur's chest. As soon as the furry weight was gone, Arthur tipped his head upward. His eyes fluttered shut as he saw Freddie pucker his lips and lean closer. A second later, their lips met, and it was all the reward Arthur could ever ask for.


	10. At the Beginning Again

Chandeliers sparkled like diamonds above the crowded ballroom floor as the guests danced in their elegant finery. From his vantage point at the edge of the room, Arthur craned his neck to look around, unable to believe that it was the same place he had met Freddie two years earlier. All of the cobwebs were gone and the murals above the grand windows shone with a new layer of paint. Thanks to several months of cleaning, dusting, and other repairs, the old palace looked almost as good as new.

It wasn't the only thing that had changed. Just as the ballroom had undergone a remarkable transformation, so had the young man who now stood at the center of it. There was no longer a single trace of Freddie's old, ragged clothes or his rough-hewn manners. Instead he smiled charmingly and wore his glittering crown with confidence.

A crowd of women in dazzling dresses surrounded him, but Freddie kept glancing over their heads. He looked around the room until he caught Arthur's gaze. As soon as their eyes met, Freddie's smile softened. Even across the bustling ballroom, Arthur could feel the warmth in his eyes. Despite the affectionate glance, Arthur's stomach churned with a gnawing feeling of jealousy. In the busy weeks leading up to the gala, they had rarely found a spare moment to themselves. Still, he tried not to take it personally. A prince had duties and obligations that were far more important than a former palace servant.

Sighing to himself, Arthur dropped his gaze and let Freddie go back to charming the admiring throngs. That was the whole point of the gala, after all—to give the people of Spades a chance to meet their long lost prince and create a groundswell of support for a restored monarchy.

The people had responded eagerly, filling the ballroom to the brim and giving Arthur barely any space to squeeze along the walls. The crowd moved in waves and flows, but he didn't seem to have the knack for moving with it. As Arthur carefully made his way along the edges of the crowd, a brush against his leg drew his attention to the floor.

Hero mewed pitifully and rubbed his head against Arthur's calf, trying to remove the sapphire-studded collar that was fastened around his neck.

"Poor Hero," Arthur said as he knelt down and reached for the buckle. "That collar doesn't suit you at all." After gently removing the ornate collar, he lifted the affectionate cat into his arms and gave him a few scratches under the chin.

Hero purred and butted his head against Arthur's hand. Though Arthur would never admit it, he had grown rather fond of the mangy fleabag. It probably helped that instead of stealing his seat, the cat now curled up on his lap.

"So… you are stealing from cats now?" a woman's voice asked.

Arthur turned around to find the dowager empress giving him a slight smile. Her outfit made the cat's jeweled collar look paltry by comparison, from the sapphire-and-diamond crown on her head to the tiny gems decorating the sash on her dress. Arthur wasn't sure how she could maintain such good posture with a heavy crown weighing her down.

Despite the cat in his arms, he managed a slight bow. "Just giving him his freedom," he replied.

"Freedom can be rather elusive here," she acknowledged. Her eyes swept the room. "I don't think he cares for these loud, glittering affairs."

"Give him some food, and I'm sure he'll be happy enough," Arthur said as he stroked the cat's fluffy fur, earning a purr and undoubtedly covering his indigo jacket in white fur.

"Well, he certainly seems very happy with you."

"He's friendly with everyone."

"I wasn't talking about the cat," she replied with another elusive smile. The crowd's movement created a new eddy and with a graceful nod she vanished amidst the glittering gowns as Arthur stood in surprised silence and quietly pondered her words.

Did she really think that Freddie was unhappy with the ball? He searched the heads in the crowd, looking for a crown and blond hair. But the prince was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps sensing his distraction, Hero wiggled free and dropped to the floor. Tail swishing in the air, he made a beeline for the buffet.

Arthur followed quickly behind, realizing that Hero might have the right idea for finding Freddie. Like pet, like master, after all.

He lost the cat in the crowd, but spotted him again once he reached the buffet. The tables were overladen with pastries and sweets. Hero flicked his tail a few times and passed them by. He twined between Vanya's ankles and then slipped beneath the table cloth.

"Well, if I had known that cats were welcome, I would have brought mine!" Vanya remarked cheerfully to Arthur as she grabbed an egg tart to his right.

"Probably best that you didn't," he replied, thinking of the havoc the two cats would wreak if they decided to play together on the buffet tables. Arthur glanced to either side. Wherever Vanya was, Yao was sure to be close behind, and sure enough, Arthur spotted him a few steps away, slipping a sausage roll beneath the table.

"Indeed," Yao added. He glanced at Arthur with a carefully neutral expression, pretending that he hadn't just been caught in the act of feeding Hero table scraps. "Dear, have you tried the dumplings?" he asked Vanya, pointing to the golden brown pastries. "My nephew made them."

"I did. They were delicious!" Vanya gushed.

Arthur smiled to himself, amused by the way the Jack of Spades found work for his many relatives at the palace. Whatever they needed, it seemed that Yao had a cousin who was ready and able to help.

Yao nodded and leaned closer to Vanya. "Of course, you're my favorite dumpling," he whispered into her ear, quietly enough that Arthur probably wasn't supposed to hear. She giggled while Arthur turned his attention to the pies.

"Psst," a familiar voice whispered from behind a pile of pastries. A pair of spectacles and blue eyes winked at Arthur from the other side of the table and then ducked back out of view. His crown was nowhere to be seen. Arthur couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. He hurried around to the other side of the table and knelt down next to Freddie.

They crouched together in the narrow gap between the table and the wall, hidden from view by the pile of pastries. It wasn't a very good hiding spot—the servants would come by soon to replenish the desserts. Arthur leaned closer to whisper into Freddie's ear. "You're supposed to be charming the guests," he reminded him softly.

"I know." Freddie sighed. "I'm tired of being charming!" he whispered plaintively.

Since Freddie seemed perfectly capable of charming _him_ without even trying, Arthur chuckled and reached for the young man's hand. "I know how to solve that. Come on," he said, pulling Freddie toward the kitchens before anyone could notice them disappear. "Sorry, sorry!" he called as they ducked between servants carrying trays of food. Once they were outside the kitchen, Arthur opened a panel in the wall that led to a servant's staircase. With everyone busy with the ball, the stairs were completely empty. They kept climbing hand-in-hand until the sound of music and chatter from the ballroom faded to a low hum.

Freddie stuffed the pastry he had been carrying with his other hand into his mouth and sighed happily. "Thanks for rescuing me," he said as soon as he finished eating.

"I had a selfish motive," Arthur admitted. "It's been _days_ since we've had any time alone."

"Yeah." Freddie leaned closer. His eyes fluttered shut as he kissed Arthur on the mouth. His lips tasted like chocolate and a hint of raspberry. Even after all their time together, Arthur's knees still felt a little weak as he pressed against Freddie and lifted his hand to cradle Freddie's neck.

After a few breathless minutes, Arthur pulled back and moved his hand to cup Freddie's cheek. He stared deeply in Freddie's sparkling blue eyes, searching for any hint of sadness. "Are you happy here?" he asked, wondering if there was any truth to what the dowager empress had suggested about Freddie's desire for freedom.

"Of course!" Freddie leaned into his hand and smiled. "I have you."

"And you'll always have me," Arthur promised, returning his smile. "I just wonder if the rest of this is what you really want."

Freddie's face grew sober as he gave the question serious thought. "I don't like the stiff clothing or some of the folks I have to deal with… but I think about all the good I could do for people." His eyes brightened. "I could fix the orphanages and make sure that everyone has jobs!"

"It might be a little harder than you think," Arthur cautioned.

"I know, but I have this chance to make a difference. I have to try."

If even a cynical con artist would be swayed by such a touching speech, Arthur had to imagine that the entire country would soon come to love Freddie as he did. "You'll have my help."

Freddie beamed. "Great! I have a position in mind for you."

"Oh?"

"I couldn't have done any of this without you. There's no one else I want standing by my side." He blushed, his gaze dropping to the floor as he stumbled for words. "What I'm trying to say is that I was thinking you could be my… um…"

"You'd better not say 'manservant,'" Arthur warned.

"My queen," Freddie finished.

Arthur gaped. "You… I… but we can't get married! We're both _men_."

"So what?" Freddie demanded. "The King of Hearts is married to a man."

"That was for a political alliance."

"I don't want to marry someone for politics! I want to marry _you_."

Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times, before finally pausing to really consider the whole idea. In the back of his mind he had always worried that he would have to give Freddie up one day, but what if he didn't? He could have what his heart wanted most. They could break with tradition and show the people of Spades that Freddie would truly be a different sort of King. And Arthur… he would certainly be a different sort of Queen. There was only one problem.

"I'm not thrilled with the title 'Queen.'"

"We can work something out," Freddie promised.

As touched as Arthur was by Freddie's earnest desire and the happiness bubbling up in his chest, there was still something missing from his marriage proposal. "There's one more thing you're forgetting," he pointed out.

Freddie blinked. "What is it?"

"You're supposed to _ask_ me."

"Oh." Biting his lip, Freddie suddenly looked adorably worried. "I just thought, I mean… with the kisses and everything. You… uh, you _do_ want to marry me, right?"

Arthur laughed. "Of course I do, you idiot!" he said as he threw his arms around Freddie's neck and kissed him so passionately that Freddie stumbled backward a couple steps. For a few moments, they didn't have to worry about all of the logistical problems with planning a wedding between two men when one of them was a prince and the other was decidedly not. For a few moments, everything was perfect.

Filled with a warm sense of bliss, they sat down on the wooden steps and Arthur leaned comfortably against Freddie's side. Freddie wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a dopey smile. "You're going to be the best Queen ever. You're smart and clever and kind."

"I'm not _that_ kind," Arthur demurred.

"You are! Even when you were a teenager, you were willing to risk your life to help a kid and his grandma. That makes you a hero."

Arthur flushed at the unaccustomed praise. "I could have been doing it to get a reward."

"No, I don't think so," Freddie said with a surprisingly thoughtful look in his eyes. "When you spent all that time teaching me about my life, you never mentioned the escape from the palace. It would have made me more convincing, but you didn't. I think you were always looking for the real prince. For me."

"Perhaps," Arthur said softly, still not quite sure himself what he had really been looking for. Whatever it was, he was pretty sure he had found it. "I want you to know, no matter what happens next, you'll always be Freddie to me."

Freddie smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'm counting on it."

"And if wedding planning gets to be too complicated, I could always just forge us a marriage certificate," he offered, enjoying the warm rumble of Freddie's laughter.

After a few more stolen moments spent basking in peace and comfort, they finally decided it was time to return to the ball before someone worried that the prince had disappeared again. Freddie practically glowed with happiness and even Arthur couldn't stop smiling. It felt like he was floating on air. Given their obvious joy, he hoped that no one drew the wrong impression about what they had been doing while they were gone.

They paused before reentering the ballroom and Arthur slipped his arm into the crook of Freddie's elbow. "Well, darling. You certainly know a perfect way to end a party."

Freddie grinned. "I like to think of it as a perfect beginning."

* * *

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. . .

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* * *

 _A/N: Yay, it's finally finished! I have one Spades story that ends in surprise democracy, so I decided this one would end in a restored monarchy. Whether they have a big fancy wedding or end up eloping is up to your imagination_ ;)


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